Along Came A Spider
by drakensis
Summary: Jaime Wolf is dead. The Wolf Dragoons are in disarray and their mission to prepare the Inner Sphere against the Crusaders seems hopeless. But Natasha Kerensky has a plan...
1. Prologue

Prologue

 _Three things see no end: a flower blighted 'ere it bloomed,_

 _A message that miscarries, and a journey that is doomed._

\- Threes, Mercedes Lackey

.o0o.

 **Avalon City, New Avalon**

 **Crucis March, Federated Suns**

 **16 September 3030**

It had been almost a year since the end of what was now officially being called the Fourth Succession War. Hanse Davion was beginning to suspect that the aftermath of the two year conflict would take as long as the preparations had, which might mean he'd be dealing with the workload until little Victor was two years old – and possibly had a little brother or sister.

"Well at least your next appointment shouldn't be such a strain," offered Ardan Sortek from a sinfully comfortable armchair in the informal conference room that had been prepared for this particular meeting room. Rather than the usual long table, the chamber had aspirations to being a sitting room, with half a dozen chairs, each with complex electronic displays available from controls on the side-table, several hotplates in one corner that were already loaded with jugs of tea, coffee and condiments… and of course, behind the relaxing landscapes on the wall was the shielding mechanisms that should ensure what was discussed remained entirely private.

Hanse inhaled the aroma of his fresh cup of coffee. It was his third today and it wasn't even lunchtime. "Royal Court was always a circus, adding the Lyran representation, near a hundred former Capellan nobles looking for confirmation in their titles and now your delegation from the Tikonov worlds is making it a three rings affair."

The other man laughed and held out a plate of hors d'oeuvres he'd borrowed from one of the many many other functions being held in Avalon City. "Would you like some cheese to go with your whine, my Prince? From where I'm sitting you're receiving exactly the rewards you set out for – the Federated Commonwealth is well on its way towards the union that you and Katrina conceived – or should I say that you and Melissa have conceived?"

"Well I'd like to see the fruits of my loins as more than a hologram." Hanse waved off the plate and sipped on the coffee. "I didn't see him being born and I haven't had a chance, even with a command circuit, to visit Tharkad."

"I can't blame Melissa for not wanting to take Victor through that many jumps just yet. She's visited herself and once Royal Court is over for the year, you've got a two week gap in your schedule, don't you?"

"Which I had to fight for! I swear my appointments secretary puts up more of a fight than the Capellans did!"

"Wouldn't be hard." Sortek set his plate aside. "So did Kerensky give you any idea what she's up to?"

"Shouldn't I ask you that? Outreach is a Tikonov world – aren't you keeping an eye on them?"

The younger man shook his head. "Their security is as tight as ever, not to mention that turning what's left of Ridzik's so-called intelligence service loose on them might have sparked all kinds of trouble. They weren't exactly subtle and Wolf's Dragoons aren't likely to look lightly on being pried at by an intelligence agency right now."

"You're intimidated by a short battalion of 'Mechs?"

"That short battalion? Hell, yes. Wouldn't you be? Besides, I figure they have enough on their hands right now."

The door to the room opened and a slim Asian man entered, wearing a subdued suit. The only things to mark him out from any of the other functionaries of the palace were the glove covering his left hand and the emblem of the Order of Davion on one lapel. The latter marked him as one of the First Prince's intimates for the Order was limited to a maximum of twenty-three members, selected for exceptional acts of loyalty to House Davion.

The glove identified him more certainly to Sortek, who hadn't seen him in person for years. "Justin Allard!" He rose to his feet and saluted solemnly.

Justin returned the salute with crisp efficiency before turning and bowing to Hanse. "Your guest is on her way up now, your highness."

"Thank you, Justin. Do take a seat, I want your opinion on that – and it'll make security happier."

"I am your humble servant," the younger man replied drily and obediently chose an armchair so that he and Ardan flanked the First Prince of the Federated Suns.

Hanse shook his head. "I didn't give either of you the Medal Excalibur – two out of only three times I've awarded it – for humility. Although if the Dragoons were AFFC troops Jaime Wolf would have earned one for what they did defending the Draconis March during the war."

"They seem happy enough with Outreach, or at least I thought so." Ardan shrugged. "Perhaps Kerensky's going to tell us otherwise. Tell me, Justin, what faux pas of decorum has she inflicted on this visit? Turned up in nothing but MechWarrior gear?"

"Nothing that I'm aware of. She's in full dress uniform and one of father's agents checked our copy of Wolf's Dragoons' uniform regulations and confirmed she's in full compliance. Which doesn't seem in line with her reputation, I admit."

The other two men exchanged glances. "That's… uncharacteristic."

"Maybe she's turned over a new leaf now that she's a Colonel. The responsibility -" Justin cut off as he saw their faces.

"You've never met her, have you?"

"Not until today, no." He frowned. "She's bleached her hair and has it up the way your wife did for the wedding, if that makes a difference."

"Half the women here are doing that, I think it's the new fashion."

Ardan chuckled. "Better than that time a few years ago where it was one side long and the other bald. I mean, really?"

"You have a point."

There was a knock on the door. "Colonel Natasha Kerensky of Wolf's Dragoons," announced the Sergeant guarding the door.

"Send her in, George."

The woman who entered was tall and – as warned – blonde, wearing the red-trimmed black of the elite mercenary unit she now commanded. There were no new lines on her face to mark the strain of the last few years, she was as lovely and undoubtedly as lethal as she had always been.

"Your Highness, Colonel, Major." Natasha nodded to each in turn, using the last military ranks held by the two knights before their careers had taken them out of regular military service.

Hanse raised an eyebrow. "Please take a seat, Colonel." He tapped a button next to his seat. "Security, this is Hanse Davion. Upgrade palace – no, upgrade planetary security status to alert three."

There was a polite affirmative and Natasha Kerensky smirked slightly as she unbuckled her uniform's ceremonial sword so she could sit comfortably. "I didn't think you considered me quite that dangerous."

"After the attack on NAIS two years ago, an unscheduled drill won't draw much notice." The Prince narrowed his eyes. "And you being polite and properly uniformed is enough to worry me. Are you sure you're really the Black Widow?"

She laughed at him. "I never cared much about expectations."

"So the universe isn't about to end?" asked Ardan.

"I didn't say that, Colonel." She let that sink in for a minute. "How much do you know about the Wolf Dragoons?"

"We have an extensive file, which I'm sure doesn't surprise you." Hanse felt a certain electricity. There was something up. Something big. "Whatever you're here about, I suspect it won't be in our file though."

"I certainly hope not. But humour me. Who are we?"

"The obvious answer would be…"

It was Justin who cut in. "You're spies."

"What?" exclaimed Ardan.

"It's just like my own performance on Solaris VII – the Wolf's Dragoons have been acting as mercenaries to draw the attention they needed for their mission. In my case it was to arrange recruitment into the Maskirovka. I don't know what the Wolf's Dragoons mission is but it's the same principle."

"Very good." Natasha looked Justin over. "You're married, aren't you?"

He nodded.

"I hope you have lots of children and your intelligence breeds true. The Federated Commonwealth is going to need them."

"Wolf's Dragoons showed up twenty-five years ago – almost out of nowhere," Hanse recounted thoughtfully. "I was still a junior officer at the time, but I recall my brother's concern even after your first contract with us. If you're still on the same mission then whoever sent you was thinking long-term."

"Unusually so – it's not something we tend to be good at. Kerlin Ward is – or was – an exception."

"Should that name mean anything to me?" Hanse frowned. "You're not from anywhere in the Inner Sphere… except maybe ComStar."

"Hell no!" snapped Natasha. "I wouldn't piss on their robes if they were on fire. And I'd be surprised if you knew the name – Kerlin and our home worlds are a long way away. I couldn't even tell you where exactly – our navigation banks were purged except for a few rendezvous points and only one of those is any use after all these years."

Hanse looked at her for a long moment. "Well, since you're admitting to being spies, I'm guessing your mission isn't something you're averse to telling me about – unlike Jaime."

"I'm not sure when – or if – Jaime planned to tell you. He was fairly cagey about his plans. But he's dead now, and that makes it my decision."

The death of Jaime Wolf on Crossing was hardly the only loss Wolf's Dragoons had taken in recent years, reflected Ardan. When he'd negotiated their current contract they'd had to fight their way out of the Draconis Combine and lost half their strength in doing so. Regiment and battalion commanders hadn't been spared in and in battle after battle the command structure of the once mighty mercenaries had been worn away. By the time the 10th Deneb Light Cavalry relieved them on Crossing, the final battle against no less than four entire regiments of the Galedon Regulars and an elite company from the Draconis Elite Strike Teams had reduced the Dragoons to less than a tenth of their original strength.

"What do Yukinov and Ellman think about this decision of yours?" Colonel Jeremy Ellman was semi-retired But Major Kelly Yukinov had been Jaime Wolf's tactical deputy before his injuries on Glenmora put him out of action.

"What do these two think about your decisions?" shot back Natasha, indicating Justin and Ardan.

"If they think I'm going off the rails, they'll tell me to my face. Why else would I have them here?"

"Touché," she conceded. "They're not delighted about any of our options. Nor am I, but you and your wife are our best shot at completing the mission."

"And your mission?"

"Our original mission was to scout the Inner Sphere are report back so that our leaders could plan an invasion." Natasha smirked at the expressions on their faces. "Kerlin Ward suggested it as a compromise – the alternative was an immediate invasion. And twenty years ago – hell, right now – you wouldn't be able to stop that invasion. Work around it, maybe, but not stop it. In 3019 our orders were changed. Kerlin told us that there was no longer any immediate threat of invasion but that it was inevitable that sooner or later it would happen. And he told us to do whatever it took to prepare you to defend yourselves."

"That was ten years ago. What have you been doing?"

"Back then the Federated Commonwealth wasn't a factor. And while we might not know exactly where our home worlds are, we're fairly sure any invasion will hit the Draconis Combine hard. Why do you think we let them build up the Ryuken regiments to mimic our training and capabilities?"

"You were teaching them?"

"Yeah, we didn't expect them to be turned against us. Once that started there wasn't anything we could do except fight back and the mission had to be set aside for survival. Until now."

Hanse nodded. "I suppose you're offering the Federated Commonwealth the same support now?"

The Black Widow shook her head. "That was the plan when the Wolf Dragoons were a small army in our own right and Jaime Wolf to lead us. We can rebuild the regiments but I'm no Jaime Wolf. If we're going to turn the Federated Commonwealth into something that can withstand the Clans, we need a strategic genius to lead us."

She pulled her ceremonial sword free of its scabbard and reversed it, extending the hilt towards Hanse. "Your highness, I offer you the Wolf Dragoons' allegiance on one condition alone: help us to help you…"

.o0o.

 **Ducal Palace, St Ives**

 **St Ives Compact**

 **23 December 3030**

"I believe I know why you're here, your highness." Candace Liao's voice was respectful but also firm as she looked at Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner-Davion over her desk. "And the answer is no."

It was slightly disconcerting for the First Prince to be sitting on the supplicant's side of this sort of conversation but it wasn't unreasonable on Candace's part – this was her realm, however small it might be. "Justin's been in the difficult position of keeping some information from you until I was able to brief Katrina in on Tharkad during my visit there," he told her. "I'm sorry I had to put him in that position and I'm here to share that information with you. Unless he's spoiled that surprise, I doubt you know why we're here."

"I'm grateful for your support, and for the regiments you've assigned to help me secure the Compact against my sister. But at the risk of being obvious, your only real concern… well, perhaps that's not fair, your principle concern, must be the Capellan Confederation. And I won't help you conquer the rest of it. If you're here to try to persuade me to support a renewed invasion, you're wasting your time."

Melissa Steiner-Davion sighed and produced a ten kroner note, which she passed to her husband. "You really need to work on your public relations," she advised him before turning to Candace. "Duchess Liao, I give you my word. While we do have contingencies in place to deal with your sister if she becomes the sort of problem we simply can't co-exist with, we've no intention of launching a second invasion of the Capellan Confederation if it's avoidable."

"I appreciate that assurance, Duchess Steiner. However, your husband is known as 'the Fox' for a reason. Given the Confederation's already under attack by both Andurien and Canopus, I can't imagine he's not seen the opportunity to finish what he started at your wedding."

"The Fourth Succession War was necessary for two reasons. Firstly, we needed to establish a secure corridor of worlds between the Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth." Hanse met Candace's gaze directly. "Secondly, your father's machinations – some of which I doubt even you're aware of – made him far too dangerous to leave alone."

"If you think my sister is less mad then it may be that Justin's been keeping secrets from you as well as from me."

"Your sister is working with significantly fewer resources than your father was. The CCAF was wrecked and is struggling to hold off two rather minor powers at this time." Hanse saw Candace's lips tighten slightly. Her own realm was similarly 'minor', and it was her family's ancestral holdings that were under attack. "Justin's defection similarly gutted the Maskirovka. At the moment, Romano is far too distracted and impoverished to pose that sort of threat."

He held up his hand. "In addition, if I were to conquer the Capellan Confederation completely I'd simply be gaining a new border with the Free Worlds League. It doesn't simplify our strategic position and I'd not only be forced to heavily garrison scores of worlds, I'd be alienating someone I consider a valuable ally. It simply isn't worth it at this point."

Candace nodded thoughtfully and then smiled, although it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Such flattery, Prince Davion. But we are both married, so please desist."

"Happily married, I hope," Melissa offered.

"Very much so. Once business is done, perhaps we can send your husband away so you can show me pictures of your son and I can introduce you to Kai."

"I'd like that, but business first." Melissa looked over at Hanse and then smiled slightly. "As much as we'd both like the St Ives Compact to join the Federated Commonwealth, we realise that that's not a good idea – at least not at the moment. Your sister would almost certainly send troops to 'defend' the worlds from us and most of your population would agree whole-heartedly with her. That would force us to fight another major war with the other Great Houses moving in, and for reasons I think you'll understand once we've fully explained the situation, we don't want such a war."

"I'd also prefer to avoid having the Capellan people swallowed up by the Federated Commonwealth. No offence meant, of course."

"In ten, twenty or thirty years, the situation may change," Hanse offered Candace. "I'd like to leave the option open that we might be able to peacefully come to such an arrangement, but if we can't then our current alliance is good enough for me. We need to get our own house in order – the Federated Commonwealth is very much a work in progress. There probably will be another war, history suggests that that's probably inevitable, but I don't want to be the man to start it and the longer we can defer that, the longer we have to consolidate the union between the Suns and the Commonwealth. I'd be more than happy to let matters lie on the Capellan front until your son and mine are the ones making the decisions. We probably won't have the luxury of waiting that long, but I wouldn't object to it."

"This must be quite a secret you've been keeping."

"Oh it is. There's a lot of briefing material though, so if you don't mind giving it another hour or so for our staff to get it all laid out – it's best to give you the whole picture at once and then let you digest it before we start talking about it in earnest."

"I suppose I can be patient at least that long." Candace looked out of the window. "I'll warn you though, the only way I would bring my people into the Federated Commonwealth would be as full allies, not as conquered worlds." Or unless my back was to the wall, she admitted to herself. But hopefully it won't come to that.

"I've had reason to look back at records of the Reunification War," Hanse told her. "Katrina and Melissa were kind enough to open the Steiner archives so I could see some of their records too. You might recall that their ancestor Viola Steiner-Dinessen commanded from the front lines. Conquering the Periphery states caused many of the long-term problems that eventually destroyed the Star League and I can't help but feel it was the fault of Ian Cameron for rushing to complete the League."

"There were fifteen years between the Treaty of Geneva laying the ground work and our ancestors actually signing the Star League Accords, but only four years after that before the Periphery was facing a military ultimatum. I'd rather learn from that history than repeat it…"

"That's easy for you to say, but you have hundreds of Confederation worlds occupied as we speak."

He nodded. "You're not wrong. It was necessary though; and politically I can't simply return them. I've come to an agreement with Katrina Steiner to create a new Terran March to link both halves of the Federated Commonwealth. It'll be a mixing pot, worlds that before the war were part of all five of the Successor States and now under Melissa's rule."

"Your mother isn't giving you an easy job."

Melissa shrugged. "Nor should she. Speaking of which, one of the affected worlds will be Liao. Not just your family's ancestral home but I believe you're also the rightful Duchess of Liao under Capellan law. Since I don't intend to disenfranchise the existing nobility, I hope we can work out something mutually acceptable terms so you can retain the title without infringing on your independence here."

"And if we can't?"

"Your younger brother has indicated his readiness to swear fealty for the world."

Candace took a deep breath. "Well played, Duchess Steiner. I'm sure that as reasonable people we can come to some compromise. And the Sarna worlds?"

"At the moment we're looking at incorporating them into the Capellan March. After all, they do have a long border with the Confederation. Obviously it would be difficult for you to defend them if we simply handed them over to you and doing so would be tantamount to declaring you a rival Chancellor to Romano which…" Hanse spread his hands and smiled politely.

"Which isn't somewhere we want to go," Candace agreed. "Well, it doesn't seem like there's much you can offer then, unless you're going to hand back all the St Ives worlds your ancestors conquered during the Succession Wars."

"That's on the table."

Hanse took a great deal of satisfaction in seeing Candace Liao's composure crack, even for just a second. She recovered quickly though. "This secret of yours must be quite the earth shaker. I look forward to hearing it."

Melissa made a face. "Believe me, you don't."

.o0o.

 **ComStar Internal Document**

 **ROM Report #3034-6603002/F-L-R**

 **Classified – Confidential**

The decisions of Katrina Steiner with regard to the Free Rasalhague Republic's formation has been on some levels predictable and on others highly uncharacteristic.

The Archon made use of the Free Rasalhague movement extensively through the Fourth Succession War, to the point of funding their infamous Tyr Regiment and supplying them with scores of assault-weight BattleMechs. With the victory in the Fourth Succession War to point to it wouldn't be unusual for a Successor Lord to consider that they had obtained their goals and could now dispense with supporters whose price to maintain was inconvenient.

Historically this has ample precedents, however such double-dealing is also often short sighted and would be atypical for Katrina Steiner. Her personal credibility and history of non-duplicity in diplomacy is one of the cornerstones of the Federated Commonwealth. It was therefore plausible that she would consider herself 'honour bound' to fulfil all terms of whatever agreement she'd made to receive the support of the Free Rasalhague movement, even if this caused her minor internal concerns with House Kelswa in the Tamar region.

Supporting this was the unexpected decision, only a few years previous, of Hanse Davion to cede more than twenty worlds to the St Ives Compact, something that moderated the previously high level of support he'd received from the Capellan March in the aftermath of the Fourth Succession War. Based on this it seemed reasonable to conclude that Federated Commonwealth policy was to support the formation of satellite border-states to shorten their external borders and potentially act as cats paws in future offensives.

Despite the above factors, it's unquestionable that the Free Rasalhague movement, now the principals of the Free Rasalhague Republic's government, feel that they have received considerably less than they expected from Katrina Steiner upon their declaration of independence earlier this year.

Such support can't be considered trivial in absolute terms: despite the demands of rebuilding combat losses and military stockpiles depleted in the Fourth Succession War, Archon Steiner has provided the new Kungsarme with a considerable quantity of military hardware, sufficient for at least six and possibly eight BattleMech Regiments along with supporting arms. Indications are that she intends similar shipments in the future. In addition, eleven worlds conquered during the Fourth Succession War have been transferred from the Tamar Pact to the Free Rasalhague Republic.

On the face of it, this would seem generous. However, sources on Rasalhague suggest that the Archon's interpretations of the previous agreements differs considerably from their own. As a case in point, the Radstadt salient has been thinned but House Steiner retain three worlds (Kandis, Stanzach and Radstadt itself) which almost sever the Free Rasalhague Republic in two. In fact, all ceded worlds are core-wards of this salient. The Free Rasalhague leaders appear to have been under the impression that they would receive these worlds.

Similarly, claims are being made that the Utrecht pocket of worlds should be ceded. The failure to do so – if it was in fact promised, which is difficult to confirm since the treaty between the Archon and Free Rasalhague was top secret and may in fact have been verbal (which would imply extreme gullibility on the part of the Free Rasalhague leaders, although Archon Steiner's charisma may make this possible) – has led to Theodore Kurita refraining from surrendering Lothan, Tukkayid and Dehgolan since these worlds are now separated from the rest of the Republic by the Utrecht pocket. This, admittedly, wouldn't be an issue if he had surrendered all of the Rasalhague District (witness the aforementioned willingness of Successor Lords to double-deal) since the newly named Alshain District would provide a more than adequate connection.

Overall the decision by Archon Steiner seems to have left her in the worst of both worlds. By declining to surrender the more rim-ward of her recent conquests on the grounds that they are 'historically Lyran worlds, never part of the Principality of Rasalhague' she has alienated her new neighbour at the same time she is arming them. This raises the possibility of the Draconis Combine backing Prince Haakon Magnusson if he ever decides to seek to reclaim the worlds by military force.

At the same time, since the eleven worlds she did cede are in the same category: worlds previously part of the Lyran Commonwealth that were reclaimed during the recent war and have no connection to the historic Principality of Rasalhague (for whatever legitimacy a state defunct for some five centuries may have), she has undermined her position in Tamar. It remains to be seen how Duke Selvin Kelswa will react.

This further suggests that Hanse Davion's previous generosity towards the St Ives Compact may not be indicative of a policy of encouraging border-states. If this is the case, the Prince's motives may be more obscure as the military support of Candace Liao is in no sense equivalent to the worlds he has surrendered to her. Despite efforts to establish his goals, at this point ROM can offer no theory more credible than that proposed by Captain-General Janos Marik on discovering the surprising concession: "Clearly the Liao has pictures of Davion molesting goats."


	2. Book 1, Chapter 1

Book One

 _Three things are most perilous: the shape that walks behind,_

 _Ice that will not hold you, and the spy you cannot find._

\- Threes, Mercedes Lackey

.o0o.

Chapter One

.o0o.

 **The Triad, Tharkad**

 **Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **20 June 3049**

"St Ives?" Victor Ian Steiner-Davion shot a suspicious look at his father and his cousin Morgan. "Are you trying your hand at match-making again?"

The two older men exchanged looks. "I'm not that predictable am I?" asked Hanse. All three men were wearing their AFFC uniforms – Hanse out of long-standing habit, Morgan because he was technically on duty and Victor because there was still novelty to wearing the Davion-green trousers and Steiner-blue jacket.

"You're not the worst member of the family for that," hedged the Federated Suns Marshal of the Armies diplomatically. "However, I promise you, Victor, that trying to pair you off with Cassandra Allard-Liao isn't the logic behind posting you to the Davion Assault Guards."

The young prince folded his arms and then, realising it made him look petulant, unfolded them again. "I'd appreciate the logic being explained then – for my future education in statecraft."

"As long as you remember that your education in statecraft isn't something in the nebulous distant future for when you're old and decrepit – you know, in your thirties." Hanse walked over to the balcony doors and looked out at the frigid mountains that overlooked his wife's capital. "First of all, there's the necessary political balance between the Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth. You've spent most of your life on Tharkad, so it's important you visit the Suns."

"I understand that far, and I've no complaints about the Davion Assault Guards as a posting – I figured it would be one of the Davion or Lyran Guards RCTs."

"We also considered the First Federated Commonwealth Regimental Combat Team but decided it would be too much of a medium path. Maybe when you're ready for a battalion command."

Victor was suddenly all too aware of the Leutenant's insignia on the epaulettes of his uniform jacket. There had been talk of graduating him as a Kommandant – battalion commander before the age of twenty – but thankfully his parents had put their feet down. As a Steiner and a Davion, he knew he had more than his fair shot at earning rapid promotion but at least he'd earned this rank by completing the Nagelring's command course and done so near the top of his class. Being elevated three ranks above other graduates simply because of his birth would have been humiliating.

"I was hoping for the Terran March though – if trouble breaks out with the Combine or the League, it'll be there that you need your top units."

"And if we post you there then it's significantly more likely that the Combine will make a move, probably along with the League."

Victor frowned at his father's response. "What, because Theodore Kurita posted his heir out to a backwater?"

"Essentially, yes." Justin Allard, who'd been quiet so far, produced a set of papers from his ever-present document file. "These are Hohiro Kurita's grades at Sun Zhang. The ISF leaked them to us as a matter of courtesy a few years ago and we returned the favour this year."

Victor frowned at the document, comparing the courses to his own. They were good grades if he was reading them right – better than his in some areas – and Sun Zhang Academy didn't have a reputation for easing the way of noble scions: much the reverse. "Wait, why did you have these on hand?"

"Your father isn't the only predictable one, your highness."

The heir to the Federated-Commonwealth raised one hand to acknowledge the touch. "Okay, so Hohiro's got an impressive resume."

"If Theodore was going to make a move on the Terran March then he'd want to bring his best officers forward. By posting Hohiro to the border with the Free Rasalhague Republic, he's signalling that he doesn't have any immediate intention of doing so. But if I post you - and all our brightest young officers - to the Terran March he'd have to assume I might be thinking aggressively myself. Overall, I think I could live without that escalation even if nothing comes of it."

"And you don't want that?" Victor asked cautiously. "It's an open secret that most of the Inner Sphere figured you'd be striking at Dieron back when I was a kid, to take the industrial worlds away before the DCMS could finish rebuilding and widen the Terran corridor further."

"I gave it serious thought," his father agreed. "You'll be briefed on one of the reasons in a few days, along with a number of other officers. The other reason is that we believed then – and confirmed later – that the DCMS rebuilt much faster than we'd expected. The Ronin War showed that the DCMS was able to mobilise a strong expeditionary force without weakening their border forces significantly. On that basis, with our own expansion plans for the AFFC just beginning to kick in, your grandmother and I agreed that barring a sudden change of circumstances, we'd defer any further attempts against the Combine or the League to your generation."

"You're expecting me to deal with House Kurita?"

"No. I'm expecting you to lead the Federated Commonwealth to the best of your ability. If that means defeating the Draconis Combine, so be it, but if it means we never go to war under your rule then I – and your mother – will be just as proud. I doubt you'll be fortunate enough not to bear that weight, but I grew up in the Succession Wars where the very thought of peace seemed impossible. Now we've been at peace for your entire life. Don't be afraid to think outside of the box the way your grandmother did."

Victor nodded, feeling something deeply personal had been passed on to him. "Isn't posting me to the Capellan border just as provocative?"

"Well if I keep you deep in the interior of the Crucis March, chances are you'll never give me peace at wanting a shot at some action." Hanse grinned at his son's discomfiture. "The fact is though, that posting you to St Ives – and the Assault Guards will be moving back and forth into the Capellan March for some exercises we have scheduled in the next year – isn't likely to cause further escalation with the Capellan Confederation or even the Taurian Concordat."

"Because Romano Liao and Thomas Calderon could hardly hate us more?"

"Essentially, yes. I doubt either of them is mad enough to look for a direct military confrontation with us at this point, but Justin's arm should remind you that even low intensity activity through third party assets can exact their price."

Victor looked at Justin's left hand, hidden behind a glove. He knew it was artificial, a prosthesis fitted after a skirmish between Justin's battalion and a Capellan raiding party. "I never heard the full story."

"The Capellans sent a battalion to try to wipe out the Kittery Training Battalion," Justin explained shortly. "I engaged their commander's Rifleman in my Valkyrie to buy time for Andrew Redburn to rally the rest of the battalion. Unfortunately the man in the Rifleman was considerably better than I was." Justin Allard was legendary as one of the finest MechWarriors alive. "A year or so later, the battalion narrowly avoided a bomb in a restaurant. There's going to be a very real danger of the Maskirovka taking action against you, so do your security team a favour and don't make a game of ditching them the way you have here."

"If nothing else, it would be offensive towards Candace Liao's own security. And one of the other reasons for sending you to St Ives is to underline our commitment towards the Compact. Because whether you wind up marrying Cassandra or not, St Ives is a valuable ally."

The young prince nodded. "I understand, father. And to be honest..."

"Yes?"

"Mentioning Cassandra and not her twin isn't as subtle as you might think."

.o0o.

 **Nagelring, Tharkad**

 **Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **27 June 3049**

The briefing room was packed, not just with recently graduated cadets but also with a sprinkling of older officers. None of them, however, seemed to know what this was about.

"I don't know exactly." Victor admitted to his former roommate, Renny Sanderlin. "Dad said it was important but that's all." That wasn't entirely accurate – there had also been an arch rejoinder from Morgan that Victor seemed to only care about special treatment when the mood took him.

"I'll tell you something though," his cousin Phelan observed.

"What?"

"Look at the epaulettes." The slightly younger MechWarrior tapped the black and red pattern backing the Stabsgefrieter's badge on his own. "Wolf Dragoons, Davion Guards, Ceti Hussars, Federated Commonwealth corps..."

"Royal Guards too," pointed out Renny.

Phelan nodded. "So it's just a few commands being pulled in for this. No Avalon Hussars, Crucis Lancers, Donegal Guards or Arcturan Guards."

"What do they have in common?"

Renny shrugged. "You're the ones with the royal and noble connections."

"Whatever it is, we'll probably find out in a few minutes. So anyway, Phelan, did I congratulate you yet on your posting. Beta Regiment of the Wolf Dragoons – the Black Widow's command. Not bad going."

"I don't have any complaints. Too bad we won't be part of the exercises up in the Capellan March. It might have been interesting if we were on opposite sides."

"Yeah, yeah, hotshot." Victor grinned. "How about you, Renny? Happy with your posting to the First Fed-Com?"

"Thanks for putting in a word for me."

"I really didn't."

"Then why did I get my posting counter-signed by Field Marshal Sandoval himself?"

"Ah, that would be Tancred Sandoval's fault – he remembered your name from his own year as an exchange student here."

"And you had nothing to do with that?"

"I really didn't." Victor paused. "I was saving all my influence to try to get Ciro Ramirez posted somewhere as far away from me as possible."

"Don't tell me that Romano Liao's bodyguards turned him down!" Phelan said in feigned surprise.

"I'm afraid his reputation reached even Sian," Victor replied sadly. "He's with the First Royal Guards – I think I saw him down near the front."

"I wondered why you wanted this seat at the back. Now I wonder no more." Phelan stretched. "Think there'll be any popcorn?"

There was not, in fact, any popcorn but shortly after this the lights dimmed and the assembled soldiers fell silent with those still standing taking seats.

"Ladies and gentlemen." Morgan Hasek-Davion stood at the front of the room, his trademark long red hair loose around the epaulettes of his uniform jacket. "The following briefing is classified as Need-To-Know under code word Ebon Black. All of you should be aware, but I'll remind you anyway, that if any of the information under this level of classification leaks, you'll face prosecution by a sealed military court under charges of treason. And don't assume family connections will spare you. We've executed four officers in the last two decades to ensure this was kept secret and Archon Melissa Steiner signed their death warrants personally."

He let that sink in for a moment and then nodded. "Kommandant Ngov, you have the floor."

The more junior officer also had long hair although his was blue-black. "Ladies and gentlemen, the reason for this briefing is that you're all being posted to units that operate certain types of equipment. As part of your regular duties you're all familiar with the various programmes the AFFC has been operating not only to provide soldiers in the field with the best equipment. For example, the FAT programme where BattleMechs, aerospace fighters and other combat vehicles have had their armour replaced with more sophisticated Ferro Armor Types." It hadn't been the most inspired of acronyms.

"Most of those refits bring the technological level of these combat units up to the lower edge of what was deployed by the SLDF some three hundred years ago. Given the discovery of a number of BattleMechs in DCMS and ComGuards formations of types not manufactured since the First Succession War, these upgrades are generally considered the minimum necessary to prepare a unit for frontline service as things stand."

"All of these projects fall under the general category of Ausf R upgrades, which are classified but has probably been compromised, at least to a degree over recent years. We've gone to some lengths to hide the fact that the Ausf R units are in part a cover-up for a second set of projects which are intended to provide capabilities well in advance of all but the best Star League equipment. While we've had some success in refitting these technologies to existing aerospace craft and ground vehicles, practically all BattleMechs using what we call Ausf S technologies need to be built with it from the ground up."

Ngov grinned. "And yes, that means that on arrival at your new units you can expect to be assigned 'Mechs that are almost factory-fresh rather than battlefield relics patched together with salvage. Just remember that however advanced, these 'Mechs aren't cheap and they don't make you invulnerable any more than watching Immortal Warrior films will – it's proper and intelligent use of them that confers our primary advantage on the battlefield."

He manipulated a control and the display behind him lit up with the familiar sight of a Phoenix Hawk medium 'Mech. "This is the new production model Phoenix Hawk. It costs around 11.66 million kroner, more than some 'Mechs twice the size. In return for that rather costly price-bump, it's now as fast and agile as a Spider light 'Mech and packs lasers with significantly more range and significantly more energy-transfer-to-target than you're used to. However, the most dangerous upgrade is the target designator that allows it to illuminate targets for bombardment with artillery missiles."

The scene shifted to the legs of a Phoenix Hawk surrounded by a field of debris. "And this is the same 'Mech after a lucky shot with an SRM hit the torso ammo-bins. The armour is slightly better than our current Ausf R standards but not hugely. The MechWarrior ejected safely, by the way. It's unlikely he'll make the mistake of standing still to engage an infantry position again, assuming he's ever allowed back in a 'Mech."

Another click of the controls and they were looking at the familiar sight of a Hunter light tracked missile carrier, although there was something off about the missiles in the turrets. "I mentioned artillery missiles a moment ago. If you have a target designator, these are your new best friend. The turret contains ten artillery missiles which can carry high explosive warheads for conventional artillery firing for effect and armour piercing warheads that can punch a rather large hole through the armour of most 'Mechs. The range isn't on par with ballistic artillery but they're a lot easier to move around – the Hunter can keep up with a Scorpion light tank quite easily – and most of your regimental combat teams will have a full battalion divided between their combat commands."

Victor blinked. He'd noticed that the artillery courses seemed quite full at the Nagelring. The usual artillery allocation for a Regimental Combat Team was usually a battalion only in theory, a company or two of towed guns fleshed out with support teams – not thirty-six self-propelled artillery vehicles. If this was going to be rolled out for all the AFFC eventually, there was going to be a lot of demand for artillery officers. In fact, there was going to be even more demand for those artillery missiles. Ten shots loaded would mean that in any sustained operation reloading would be critical.

"Sounds pretty good," Phelan muttered.

"Sounds expensive," Victor replied. "I wonder how they reload under fire."

"I guess you'll find out – in simulation – before I do." Phelan shut his mouth with a click of teeth as he saw Morgan frowning up at the back corner of the room where they were sitting.

.o0o.

 **Tworivers, Gotterdammerung**

 **Greater Valkyrate**

 **24 September 3049**

The imaginatively named settlement was nestled between two rivers where they met the north coast of Gotterdammerung's largest sea (which wasn't really all that impressive). The rivers and shoreline provided some degree of security for more than half the town's perimeter but since the wider river was less than two hundred metres wide and perhaps eight deep at the most, neither had significantly impeded Patricia 'Patsy' Camacho's company as they jumped across – or waded through – the southern water.

That had been an hour ago and Patsy was doing her best to ignore the still burning wrecks of three APCs outside the town's armoury as she used her Phoenix Hawk's hands to help load up two hover trucks with the loot.

"Seems kind of pointless, Patsy," Paula Rubenstein observed as she stood watch in her Locust. "The weapons here wouldn't be enough to arm a small town militia down in the FedCom – it's not remotely enough to justify the pay. And if we're taking the grain from the granary -" the muzzle of her 'Mech's laser tracked in that direction for a minute, "- why are we leaving crates of almost out of date field rations?"

"Weren't you listening to the brief?"

"Nope. I was sat next to Cowboy and you know keeping an eye on him is a fulltime affair."

Patsy sighed to herself. "The field rations are enough that the town won't starve this year, and if the locals are smart enough they'll be able to hide them from the Valkyrate's tax collectors. But without grain they'll have nothing to plant next year so long term this area's going to take a severe hit to the food supply and the economy in general. And if Morgaine wants to keep control down here, she'll have to replace her bully boys and their gear, which is a drain on who she can send out to back up raids like the ones she's been making into the Tamar March."

"But won't the pirates just carry out more raids for food?"

"Food's bulky, Paula. Most pirates don't have the time or patience to do that. And what do you want to bet that the Fox has quietly reinforced garrisons on the main agricultural exporters in this part of the FedCom?"

"Well I guess that's clever." Paula turned her 'Mech and walked it along the square. "Seems kind of hard on the locals. They didn't have any say in pirates running things around here. "

Patsy declined to reply since, of course, Paula was quite correct. She was saved from further comment when Cowboy cut onto the company channel. "Patsy, sweetheart, we've got 'Mechs coming in from the north. I make it three heavy and a pair of lights, but they're moving kind of fast – about eighty clicks."

"Got it, Cowboy. Fall back into the town." Patsy looked down at the crew securing the trucks and flipped her external speakers. "Time's up. Get the trucks going for the dropships now, we have 'Mechs incoming and you don't want to be anywhere near when they arrive."

Three heavies, but from the speed they'd have to be low ends – not much above sixty tons can manage it and it generally means they've under-armed or under-armoured – or both. Two lights, which could be just about anything. Probably they'll scout and try to pinpoint our 'Mechs for the heavies.

Foxtrot Company had numbers on their side – eleven 'Mechs since Diggity's Hermes II was back on the dropship after an electrical fault fused the right knee actuator. Better than two to one odds but still... "Paula, take Geronimo Jones and escort the trucks." One Locust and one Ostscout wouldn't add much firepower to the fight to come but they could keep up with the trucks pretty well and the latter's sensors would pick up any flanking force trying to cut them off.

"Are you sure, Patsy?"

"Sure as Captain's bars, Paula. Git gone." She straightened her Phoenix Hawk and headed for the northern edge of town, the side with no river or sea to guard it. There was a wall of sorts but honestly Patsy didn't think it would stop determined infantry, much less a BattleMech.

"They all look pretty determined," warned Cowboy, his Wasp nestled behind the wall with only his cockpit above the concrete barrier.

Patsy saw them for herself. No designs she recognised – the warbook suggested with low confidence that she might be looking at a pair of modified Warhammers and a Thunderbolt – deployed in a v-formation with two reverse-legged designs like Paula's Locust but evidently much larger ranging forwards on the flanks. All five 'Mechs had a dull olive green paint scheme and an emblem she couldn't make out at this distance.

"I'm guessing they know we're here," she observed as one of the two Wolverines in her company brushed against a house in the MechWarrior's rush to reach the wall. The front of the house practically tore off at the encounter. "Dammit, Bobby."

"What the hell does it matter?"

"I don't care about the house, but stop damaging Skin Walker's armour right before a scrap."

"They look kind of weird. Probably someone's frankensteined some wrecks together."

"Maybe," Patsy conceded. "They must have some big engines in there. Magscan says… hmm. Better than two hundred fifty tons between them. Can't be much more than a fifth of it on the lightweights out on the flanks."

"Thunderbolt and two Warhammers. They must have thinned out the armour to get them moving like that. We can take them. We have numbers and they're just pirates."

"Not so sure of that. Don't recall any outfits out there with all green colour schemes." Patsy punched the scan button on her radio. The initial response was static but finally the system pinpointed a frequency in use. Encoded, she concluded listening to the squeal of data garbage, but in use. "Anyway, we didn't come out here to turn around and they probably know we're here."

"That is correct," a sharp voice cut in. "Will you stravags exit the enclave to do battle or shall we drag you out like rats?"

"Hey, dontcha go calling the Captain a stravak or whatevah!" snapped Cowboy.

"Shut up, Cowboy." Patsy glanced at the terrain. It was fairly flat, mostly farmland which had evidently been harvested recently. Not much cover and while the mission wasn't to wreck the town, most of the locals were under cover anyway and the more damage that was done, the worse for the Valkyrate, particularly if they were the ones doing the wrecking. "Y'all can come and get us."

There was no reply but the incoming 'Mechs spread out further, the flanking lights heading for the riverbank.

Bobby the Wolf propped his Wolverine's autocannon over the edge of the wall and Patsy did the same with the large laser in her own 'Mech's fist. "One salvo at long range," she ordered her company, "Then get back into the buildings. If you don't have anything with decent range, get in cover now."

She zoomed in her targeter over the central 'Mech. Thunderbolts were well armoured usually, but Bobby had a point about the tonnage of the engine they must have fitted. It still had the missile launcher balancing out the off-centre cockpit but both arms ended in substantial weapons. Not a normal Thunderbolt then, that had a large laser in one arm and a couple of machineguns in the other. How this could fit a more powerful engine as well as the missile launcher, while still packing what looked like an autocannon and - was that a PPC as well?

A charged beam fired out of the weapon – yep, definitely a PPC – and tore into the wall right under her laser. The autocannon shells arrived next and a dusting of small explosions marked the muzzle of the laser. Patsy ducked the Phoenix Hawk as LRMs rained down on her position.

"Those things have way too much firepower!" She saw red-light on her weapon display and grimaced. So much for the large laser. She'd be fighting with the mediums and the machineguns now – well, at least inside the town they'd be useful.

"Son of a puta!" growled Bobby and she saw he'd also ducked Skin Walker out of the line of fire. "Those lasers punched right through the wall!"

"Casey is down," came another report. "PPC to the cockpit."

Patsy blinked and her fists tightened on the joysticks. Jock Casey was kind of an ass, but he was also one of hers. Plus, losing his Valkyrie would cost them at least a little bit of firepower.

"Time to go for cover," she snapped and crouched her 'Mech before firing the backpack-like jump jets to scoot along the road without rising too high and exposing herself to return fire. Bobby the Wolf followed her, his heavier 'Mech not as agile but the man's hard-won battle experience keeping his head down.

Cowboy was lurking with his Stinger crouched behind what passed for an apartment building. The MechWarrior gestured for them to keeping going past them and Patsy raised the thumb of her Phoenix Hawk's left hand. The intention was fairly obvious: draw one of the enemy in past Cowboy and let the Wasp work at its back. Between three of them… well, it would hurt, but not even a heavy 'Mech was going to come out on top with odds like that.

There was a roar of more jump jets and the Not-Thunderbolt arced up and over the wall. Patsy spun and fired with both lasers, the temperature rising rapidly inside her cockpit. One scored a line ineffectually across the bicep of the 'Mech. The other shot missed.

The enemy returned fire with even more accuracy. The PPC scored squarely on the rear of Skin Walker and there was a cascade of broken armour as the autocannon scored again, pockmarking the Wolverine's back.

"Fucker! Fucker!" Bobby shouted as he skidded his 'Mech right and into an alleyway.

Patsy cut left, mirroring him and avoiding further fire. "How bad is it?"

"Engine shielding. I'm running warm." Normally a Wolverine could maintain excellent temperature control so that was a bit of a give-away.

Patsy flipped a switch. "Punch your BattleROMs to transmit updates to Paula and Geronimo. The rest of the battalion need to know what's going on here. Whoever these people are, they're not pirates – or at least not the pirates we knew about. Something tells me that the Feddies will pay a lot for data on them."

"You're talking like we're not going to get out of this." Bobby braced his 'Mech near the corner and Patty held up the Phoenix Hawk's hand, then lowered her fingers one at a time.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

The two medium 'Mechs moved out as smoothly as if they'd practised the move and opened up with everything they had. At barely fifty metres, it was hard to miss. Armour fractured under lasers, under shells and under missiles but it didn't seem to break.

"Yeehaw!" shouted Cowboy and his Wasp ran out from behind the cover of the buildings and jammed its laser into the back of the cockpit.

The Not-Thunderbolt staggered forwards a pace and then focused on Skin Walker again. Despite the short range it fired its LRMs and armour peeled away from the front of the Wolverine as the missiles blew holes. Deliberately the MechWarrior inside raised the arm with the PPC and as Bobby backpedalled, discharged the weapon directly at the 'Mech's leg where missiles had already battered the armour. The blaze of charged particles tore away through what was left of the protection, and Bobby almost lost control of the 'Mech as myomers contracted irregularly under the charge.

"Get off him!" Patsy fired her lasers and machineguns again, shifting to one side to force the MechWarrior to turn his attention to her.

Cowboy brought his laser around again but the Not-Thunderbolt shifted sideways, taking the hit to the armour over its missile launcher.

"Sonuva-" Bobby's comment was cut off as he exchanged autocannon fire with the larger 'Mech. It had depressingly little effect. Then the missile rack fired again – they must be hot-loaded to be armed within these close quarters, LRMs were notoriously ineffectual at point-blank ranges – and savaged the armour, dropping Skinwalker onto its rear.

"What the hell is this guy made of?" Cowboy fired again, opening up with his SRMs and laser to no particular avail. "Fuck it. Let's do this bronco-style."

Patsy knew what he had in mind, knew that she didn't have a hope in hell of convincing him not to do it. And she wasn't entirely sure it was the wrong move. She fired her jump jets again and used them to hop back behind Bobby. The enemy MechWarrior seemed to have some degree of tunnel vision regarding the Wolverine and that might let her get away with standing and firing at him.

Her lasers both scored dead centre over the chest and her machineguns marked up the paintwork with a cascade of sparks even though there was no chance of penetrating at this range. Patsy's eyes were fixed on the 'Mech and behind it of Cowboy's Wasp rising vertically behind it on jump-jets.

A Wasp's low tonnage allowed even its relatively modest jump jets to propel it a hundred and eighty metres even vertically.

Cowboy used almost all of that capacity, holding just enough back to steer on the way down.

Gotterdamerung's gravity dragged twenty tons of BattleMech down directly on top of the Not-Thunderbolt and with uncanny precision it landed with both feet, squarely on the cylindrical missile launcher.

The explosion masked both Cowboy and the enemy from view. Patsy took the opportunity to brace Bobby's 'Mech so he could bring it up right again. "Think he got him?"

The response came across the commline with the same sharp precision as before. "You did not. A warrior of Clan Jade Falcon takes more to kill than you bandits have."

The crackling beam of the PPC lashed out and smashed into Bobby's Wolverine, severing the damaged leg.

As the smoke cleared, Patsy could see the Not-Thunderbolt still standing, albeit with the left side of the 'Mech a scorched and blasted wreck. At its feet lay the legless wreck of Cowboy's Wasp.

The heavy 'Mech stepped forward and deliberately brought one massively armoured foot down upon the cockpit.

"Bobby, punch out!"

"But…"

"NOW!"

"Oh jeeeessssssuuuusssss!" the foul-mouthed mercenary howled as his canopy exploded and he rocketed out of it at a very low angle. He was far too low for his chute to deploy but at the same time, he barely needed it, the ejection seat came down on its back and skidded along the road in a shower of sparks.

Patsy was right behind it, jinking from side to side to spoil the enemy's aim.

"This is Captain Camacho!" she called on the battalion push. "We've been hit by unknown but very advanced BattleMechs. Nothing like them in the warbook. The trucks are on their way. Get them and get out of here. The rest of my company won't make it back to the drop zone."

"You know we can't do that, Captain."

"That's a goddamn order," she shouted down the radio as she dropped her Phoenix Hawk into a slide below a bolt of lightning from the enemy 'Mech. "Get out and get help. We'll go to ground."

"Your father..."

"My father knows the regiment comes first. Comancho out!" Then she scrambled up and got her battered Phoenix Hawk into cover. "Get in the cockpit, Bobby. We're going for the water. It's our only chance to break contact." Patsy switched to the company push. "All 'Mechs, we're bugging out. If your 'Mech can keep water out of the vitals then head south. If not…" She swallowed. "If not, I'm sorry, you'll need to buy us all the time you can."

Only Stearman, Green and Ortega confirmed they were heading for the beach.

Moving at almost top speed and weaving between buildings to avoid line of sight, Patsy managed to reach the shoreline in barely more than a minute. The first thing she saw there was Stearman's battered Commando, a melon-sized metal slug bursting through its rear armour.

The light 'Mech dropped like a bowling pin.

"They've got us bracketed!" Clancy Green's Wolverine was wading backwards into the water, already knee deep in surf.

The flankers, Patsy realised. Those two lights, one each side. They must have reached the shoreline and they're either side of us.

As she realised that there was a crash and something slammed into the left leg of her Phoenix Hawk, shattering the armour. With the limb no longer water-tight, escape into the sea was no longer an option.

Turning to her left, Patsy broke into a run towards the enemy 'Mech. More than half a kilometre, well outside her range but the elderly Phoenix Hawk was still fast enough to close that distance.

A salvo of LRMs arced up and over her, thundering down on top of the 'Mech that Patsy dubbed a Not-Locust. Ortega was still fighting, his Dervish backed up against one of the fishing docks, giving her fire support. "Go Patsy, go!"

Two lasers flashed out, ripping into her armour mercilessly and Patsy feathered her jets for a moment, barely side-slipping another shot from that ridiculous ballistic gun.

"Fuckers are heavily armed," Bobby grumbled from behind her.

"I noticed!" She fired both lasers while she had them and the two beams connected with the already damaged right arm of the Not-Locust, which exploded satisfactorily and took the gun with it.

Bobby whooped a war cry and Patsy grinned savagely as the enemy 'Mech started to back up.

"No you don't, hon'. No you don't."

They had barely time for one more exchange of shots before she reached him. One shot dug deep into the Phoenix Hawk and Patsy felt the heat spike as a result. Reactor shielding took a hit. One of her shots went astray, the other seared into the other 'Mech's right flank, the MechWarrior having turned slightly to shield the working weapons on the left.

That didn't help him when Patsy used her 'Mech's hands to grab the forearm below the elbow and above the wrist, yanking it up and back at an angle the designers never intended to accommodate.

Under the force of a 'Mech half again its size, the Not-Locust's joints seized and tore. Patsy yanked again and the limb came loose.

"This is for Cowboy, you son of a bitch!"

She brought the arm down directly on the cockpit and saw the armour buckle.

"And this is for Casey."

A second downward arc and the cockpit stove in under her improvised club.

"And this is…"

"He's dead, Captain, he's dead!" roared Bobby. "The other one, the -"

Just over seven hundred metres away the other Not-Locust caught Patsy's Phoenix Hawk squarely in the small of the back with its laser, right over the ammo bin for the machineguns. The rounds went up, tearing through what was left of the reactor shielding.

Bobby screamed briefly as safety systems triggered and rockets propelled Patsy's ejection seat out of the cockpit. There was no accommodation for protecting anyone in the jump-seat behind her but any injury he suffered was cut short by a rush of superheated air expanding from the ruptured fusion reactor.

With savage deliberation, the remaining Not-Locust blew Captain Patricia Camacho's ejection seat out of the air with its autocannon.

.o0o.

 **Sigfried Glacier Reserve Environs, Tharkad**

 **Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **18 October 3049**

The bleat of the visiphone woke Hanse Davion from a very satisfying night's rest. He and Melissa had managed to coordinate a two day gap in their schedules and escaped the court up to the old hunting lodge that Victor had used as a retreat while he was a student.

Forty-eight hours of freedom was a rare luxury for either of them, much less both – Hanse wasn't sure they'd had that opportunity since Katrina Steiner's death in 3040. Somehow he wasn't surprised at getting a call in the middle of the night – just disappointed.

Grabbing the phone from its stand before it could ring again, the First Prince padded to the door, pressing it to his ear and thumbing the audio only button. "Just a minute." No alarms were going off so it couldn't be an immediate crisis.

"Who is it?" asked Melissa sleepily.

"I'm sorry to wake you, your highness," said Justin mildly.

"Don't you ever sleep, Justin?"

Melissa sat up in the bed. "What's the matter?"

Hanse looked at his wife admiringly and also ruefully. The spirit was willing but something told him the minute was all wrong. "Let me get you on speaker, Justin, so we can both hear you."

He returned to the bedside and adjusted the visiphone accordingly. "Okay, we're ready."

"It's them."

The Archon and the First Prince exchanged looks. "You're sure?"

"The Seventeenth Recon Regiment were carrying out some reprisal raids on the Valkyrate for Duke Kelswa. One of their companies ran into five unknown 'Mechs on Gotterdammerung. Fortunately Captain Camacho had the wit to realise she was outmatched and she ordered their dropship to take off and transmitted her BattleROMs before she was taken out."

"And they're the Clans?"

Justin nodded. "We're still going over the data in detail but everything matches so far. One Summoner, two Hellbringers, two Kit Foxes. The colours match Natasha's information on Clan Jade Falcon and we have what might be Jade Falcon insignia – we're still trying to clean up the data to confirm that. Also the handful of transmissions suggest the right speech patterns."

"Jade Falcons." Hanse frowned. "Natasha said they were fairly prominent in the pro-invasion faction, didn't she?"

"That's right. If they're this close to the Inner Sphere, it seems likely they'll be prepared to come the rest of the way. I've taken the liberty of issuing a war warning to all units in the Tamar March."

Melissa had pulled a computer-pad out of her side table and was checking through data. "The Seventeenth Recon Regiment are commanded by a Colonel Comancho, Justin. Any relation?"

"Captain Patricia Comancho was his daughter, your highness. And an excellent MechWarrior, I might add. She took out one of the Kit Foxes almost singlehandedly in a damaged Phoenix Hawk."

"Then we owe her regiment a debt. Without this warning…"

Hanse nodded and reached for the clothes he'd been wearing the previous night. "I'll call for our car. If we leave now we should be back at the Triad in time for breakfast. For now, pass on all the information so far to Nondi Steiner and transmit it on to Morgan and Ardan. Tell them to send out a general war warning to all units and cancel the Operation Ragnarok war games."

"Add Candace to that list," Melissa added as she left the bed. "And tell Nondi I want a command conference with her and all her available department heads right after breakfast."

"Understood. Anything else?"

"Nothing for now, but be ready to attend the meeting." Hanse ended the call. "This is it then."

"I'd hoped we'd have longer."

The First Prince tilted his head slightly. "In some respects, so do I. In others…"

"What do you mean?"

"If it was five or ten years ago we'd not be half as prepared for them. But if this hadn't happened for another five or ten years then Victor and Peter would have almost certainly been on the frontlines. This way there's at least a chance I can deal with the Clans before our children have to."

Melissa looked at her husband and then pressed a button on her phone. "Meg. Sorry to wake you, but have the staff get the car ready. My husband and I are leaving for the Triad in an hour. We'll eat on the road."

"An hour?" asked Hanse once the phone was down. "We can be on the road…"

"Hanse." She started peeling off her nightdress, necessary in the cold weather. "Take your pants off."

.o0o.

 **ComStar Compound, Hilton Head Island**

 **North America, Terra**

 **19 October 3049**

The Precentor-Martial of ComStar was decades older than the Primus but he looked infinitely more vigorous than she felt. A decade and a half of transforming the ComGuards from a mix of mercenaries and inexperienced acolytes into a professional army had only empowered him while Myndo Waterly felt that the same time struggling against the ever-rising menace of the Federated Commonwealth had sapped away at her.

Anastasius Focht bowed deeply and kissed the Primus' hand respectfully. "My apologies that I could not be here sooner, Primus. I've only made a preliminary study of the data you sent me but I concur that it's very disturbing."

"Since I contacted you, the matter has grown more pressing." Myndo Waterly turned from Focht and gestured towards the holographic projector in the middle of the room. Reactivated, the projector brought up a complete map of the Inner Sphere. Trails of light were expanding across those parts marked in the gold of the Federated Commonwealth.

"Hanse Davion has issued a formal war warning to all units of the AFFC, paying for maximum priority communication to units in the Tamar and Draconis Marches. In addition, the war games currently taking place in the Capellan March and St Ives Compact have been cancelled, although word hasn't reached them yet."

"Interesting." Focht examined the projectors display for a moment. "It seems that Hanse Davion has more information than he has shared. However remarkable the clash here," he gestured at the cluster of pirate kingdoms core-ward of the Tamar March and Free Rasalhague Republic, "That wouldn't usually indicate concerns here." He moved his hand down to indicate the Draconis March. "And if his concern was the Combine then why not alert the Terran March."

"Indeed." Waterly returned to her desk. "I know my own reasons for concern at both the initial reports and this new development, but I'd prefer to hear your own thoughts before I influence them."

"Of course. With your permission?" Focht inserted a data disc into the projector. "Captain Camacho had close range footage of two of the enemy BattleMechs, in one case with considerable torso damage that let us see the internals – admittedly not in working order, but very useful nonetheless."

The projector lit up with two views of the blocky 'Mech sporting the missile pod and offset cockpit. One view showed it intact, the other with the savaged left torso caused by the ammunition explosion.

"Despite the resemblance, this isn't a Thunderbolt. It's taller and heavier, the armour protection is at least as good and rather than the secondary weapon systems usually fitted, it adds a third heavy weapon system. Both the size and the heavier armament would generally make it difficult to maintain the same speed but this 'Mech isn't merely faster, it also fits jump jets and does so with no noticeable reduction in armour protection."

"Are you saying that this 'Mech is more advanced than those deployed by the AFFC or by the ComGuards?" enquired Waterly sharply.

"At least marginally superior to our own forces. The full capacity of the AFFC has been frustratingly hard to pin down, as we've discussed. Some aspects of the machine would certainly be within their capacity – the autocannon is a multi-munitions type which the SLDF perfected and we've retained with the ComGuards. It's been confirmed that such autocannon are being fitted to 'Mechs in the AFFC. However, the key to the impressive performance of this 'Mech are the internal structures."

Focht reached into the hologram and indicated each component. "Those structural members are broader than those used in most 'Mechs because they're a variation on SLDF endo-steel structures. The same materials are used in advanced heatsinks and given the infra-red signature of this 'Mech it almost certainly has them. Also the reactor shielding extends much further to the sides than normal – again, bulkier but lighter than the hardware commonly used by the Successor States. We have all of these technologies although the preliminary figures suggest that whoever built this may have a marginal advantage. The Federated Commonwealth is definitely working on them – their latest armour refits are effectively equal to our own – but how far they've been able to deploy them and exactly how effective their internals are has been very hard to pin down."

"You're telling me that we can't build this, that someone has newer and more advanced technology than ComStar."

"We could build something similar, although it would take time and possibly be slightly inferior – the numbers are still being reviewed. But yes, we have to assume that whoever they are, they're at least as advanced scientifically as ComStar." Focht folded his hands behind his back. "It doesn't surprise me that Hanse Davion feels that this may be a major threat. Five of these 'Mechs decisively defeated more than twice their numbers. While the Seventeenth Recon Regiment aren't a first-class regiment, they're no pushovers either. There was an entire battalion of Ryan's pirates on Gotterdammerung as of our last reports from the area – given the boastful nature of pirates, if they were responsible for defeating the mercenaries they'd have made it known quickly. In fact there's no news of them, suggesting that this is a third party who took out Ryan's forces quickly and easily."

"That leads us rather quickly to the most important question then: who are these people? Your thoughts have thus far been largely in accord with my own. Judging from what we have seen, do you think that these could be Kerensky's forces returning?"

"The possibility has been raised by my staff," Focht admitted. "However, when General Kerensky left the Inner Sphere with the bulk of the Star League Defence Force, they were last seen at New Samarkand. While it's possible they moved core-wards after they entered the periphery, there's no reason to expect that they did so, and returning via Tamar would be a rather indirect route."

"Certainly the SLDF technology would have given them a starting point comparable to our own capabilities, but what departed were an army and their support personnel, not scientists with research and manufacturing facilities. It's been questioned over the years how viable the Star League's armies could have been as colonists, in fact."

"Given the immense destruction of the Amaris Crisis and the First Succession War, it's entirely possible that entire groups and facilities we think were destroyed actually left with Kerensky," Waterly riposted. "You say that they could have travelled core-wards such that Tamar is a sensible route back to us. They could have had scientists with them that we're unaware of. Surely it's premature to rule out the possibility."

"We've ruled nothing out at this stage, Primus. Not even the possibility that these are non-humans, far-fetched as that might seem. If it is Kerensky's heirs, or some other colonial group we're unaware of, they could have had centuries to build up the research and manufacturing facilities to produce these 'Mechs. Despite the efforts of the Explorer Corps over the last century, we really know appallingly little about the deep periphery."

"The same thoughts must have crossed Hanse Davion's mind. If Kerensky's forces are returning, the Draconis March would be the closest worlds of the Federated Commonwealth to the point of departure, while the Tamar March is the closest area to this new event. That may explain the prioritisation of alerting these areas."

Waterly nodded and walked to the window. "And what if this is a cover for preparations to launch a new war of aggression? The source of this information is, after all, a mercenary regiment in the service to the Federated Commonwealth. It's a convenient excuse for him to move forces adjacent to the borders of the Draconis Combine."

"I believe we can be confident, from the nature of Colonel Camacho's report, that his daughter is indeed dead. It's not impossible that the unit responsible were AFFC troops in disguise, but I don't see that this would be of significant benefit to him. Takashi Kurita and his son Theodore may give reports of unknown 'Mechs in the Periphery some credence, but the heightened alert on their borders with the Federated Commonwealth will have them look towards that, not towards the periphery. That being the case, it's highly probable that we are dealing with a genuine outside group."

"Then we need to find out their scope and their intentions. If this is a small group and they have limited forces, so much the better, but the SLDF army was far larger than all the regiments of all the Successor States combined. If they have anything approaching that scale of forces…"

"It isn't very likely that we're dealing with numbers on that scale, Primus. The SLDF was supported by thousands of inhabited systems and trillions of Star League citizens. Still, even a force the size of, say, the Taurian Defence Force or the Kungsarme, could cause impressive losses to the House Militaries as they stand."

Myndo Waterly nodded. "Not necessarily a bad thing if they were to cut the Fox down to size, but there would be other repercussions. I'll order the Explorer Corps to make this their first priority. We must make contact with these people and learn more about them."

"With your permission, I'd like to head out myself. The ComGuards are deployed in the area and if this does lead to fighting it's not clear if they'll respect the neutrality of our HPG stations. If I'm on the scene then…"

"You're too valuable where you are, Precentor-Martial."

"If I was irreplaceable, I would be serving you poorly Primus. There are many fine young officers who can be promoted if need be. Meanwhile, my experience makes me the best choice to assess the capabilities of these intruders first hand. Not to mention that if we do have to fight against them to defend our HPGs, I've the rank to deal with the high command of the Kungsarme and AFFC where a more junior Precentor might be forced into a subordinate position."

The Primus frowned and then nodded. "Very well, but only as far as Rasalhague. If first contact is made by the Explorer Corps and all goes well, you can meet with these people after that. But I don't want to send them the man with the greatest extent of knowledge of our military preparations until we have a better idea who they are."

Focht bowed his head. "Blake's will be done, Primus."

"Yes," she agreed. Blake's will. And mine!

.o0o.

 **Frankfurt Drop-Port, Maxie's Planet**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **23 October 3049**

Kai Allard-Liao blinked as the early morning sunlight stabbed at eyes accustomed to the carefully regulated lights aboard the dropship. They'd arrived only shortly after sunrise.

"We'll have your 'Mech out in just a few minutes, Leutenant," the loadmaster assured him. "There's a heavy cargo mover on its way from the terminal as we speak and they'll deliver it to the military loading zone just over there." The hirsute man pointed over to a line of heavily reinforced warehouses, all spaced such that an accidental detonation within was unlikely to affect the others.

"Thanks."

"Nothing to it. We do this run every month or so, there's almost always something or someone military coming to or from Maxie's Planet. Price of having a Regimental Combat Team here, I guess."

"I'd imagine so." Kai glanced around. "Looks like they're having a busy day. Three other dropships loading?"

The man shrugged. "They look like they're loading people not freight so it shouldn't affect us. Not sure why so many people would be getting off-planet though." He paused and looked at Kai questioningly.

"I'm not sure either." Maxie's Planet was only a jump away from the Free Rasalhague Republic but it didn't seem likely that the Kungsarme would try to raid the planet while the Eleventh Lyran Guards were posted here – more than a hundred BattleMechs, three regiments of armour and five of infantry should handle almost anything short of an outright invasion. "I should call in and see if there's anyone waiting for me."

"Sure, we're patched into the planetary commlines now." The loadmaster ushered Kai into a cramped alcove that evidently served as an impromptu office for him. "Here." He offered a handset. "Just dial nine and it'll put you through to the terminal's administration centre."

"Thanks." Kai dialled immediately and asked the clerk on the other end if there was anyone from the Lyran Guards here to pick him up,

"Pick you up? Hang on a moment." The hold music didn't last long. "There's supposed to be a Feldwebel here, I'll see if I can find him and call you back."

Kai thanked the woman and hung up. "They'll ring me back," he told the loadmaster.

"They're not too bad about that here. The cargo hauler's almost here, I'll go ahead and get the crane going."

The newly graduated Leutenant watched with fascination tinged with apprehension as his 'Mech was lifted carefully off the ground using the dropship's overhead crane and slowly moved out onto the top of the powerful flatbed. More than sixty tons of equipment wasn't something to move casually, even in this day and age. If this was a military transport he could have simply walked the 'Mech off but the relatively low ceiling of the cargo hold here would have made that impractical.

The phone rang and he lifted it. "Leutenant Allard."

"Ah, Leutenant. Feldwebel Jewell says he'll meet you at Building B-3 in the military loading zone. Our drivers will know where that is. Is that okay?"

She hung up almost before he gave her an affirmative, but she was right and the driver didn't have any difficulty finding Building B-3 for him, which proved to be a small 'Mech hanger.

"It's pretty standard – any time we've a civilian shipper bringing in something for the Guards, it comes to row B," the driver explained. "Not so many 'Mechs but tanks, crates of supplies – pretty big ones too sometimes. Wouldn't say your Mech's even the biggest thing we've ever brought in."

"I'd be surprised if it was," Kai replied absently and then straightened as he saw a small cluster of people by the entrance. "Are those… children?"

"Either that or they started recruiting real young," the driver said with a cackle and slowed to a halt so Kai could jump down.

To Kai's relief, one of the four was wearing AFFC uniform, a Feldwebel's rank pin on the same white-horsehead-on-blue epaulettes that marked Kai's own shoulders, the emblem of the Lyran Guards. The other three, though, were a civilian woman and two children.

The Feldwebel saluted. "Leutenant Allard, I'm David Jewell. Sorry for…" he gestured to the civilians, "but my family are shipping out today and I wanted as much family time as possible before that."

"Shipping out?"

"Yes, sir. You hadn't heard?"

"I've been on dropships for the last two months." Kai looked back at the truck. "Look, let me get my 'Mech squared away and we can get your family somewhere a little more… child friendly, okay?" He didn't want to imagine the consequences if the little boy decided to wander in front of the heavy truck at the wrong moment.

"Thanks, sir." Jewell coloured.

Twenty minutes later, Kai found himself squeezed against the truck door with Jewell's wife Katherine next to him and Jewell between her and the driver as they rode back to the terminal. The children were in theory in their parent's laps but the boy, David Junior, was at least half in Kai's as he peered eagerly out of the window.

"So what's the story, Feldwebel?"

"We got a war-warning, sir. Just two days ago, along with advice to evacuate military dependents back to our home worlds or at least somewhere deeper inside the Commonwealth."

"War warning with who?"

"Didn't say, but it's gotta be the Combine. Who else is there? Rasalhague isn't crazy enough to start anything unless the snakes were backing them, and probably not even then."

"I wouldn't have thought so. But why evacuate dependents from here? We're the far side of the Republic from the Combine."

"That's what I said," Katherine asserted. "But worryguts here insists on not taking the chance."

"I figure it's more like we're gonna get reassigned in a hurry." Jewell glanced over at the driver. "No offense to Maxie's Planet but if the balloon goes up, I'd prefer to have my family somewhere we've got roots. We're from Coventry and Katrina and the kids are guaranteed free military housing there, plus having both our parents there… you know, just in case. Coventry's even further from the Combine than Tharkad is."

"It'll be a long trip won't it?"

"Not so bad." Jewell looked over at him. "The dropships out there are chartered to go to Sudeten – that's the hub for all military dependents. There's pretty regular shipping from there, military and civilian, all the way back to Tharkad and then Coventry. Couple of weeks to get to Sudeten and about the same to reach Coventry, I guess."

Kai frowned. "I suppose it depends on the jumpships. There'll probably be command circuits being formed up to move troops – no reason they can't move families in the other direction."

"This wouldn't have happened if Katrina Steiner was still in charge," grumbled Katherine. "I bet it's that Hanse Davion, wanting worlds back from the Combine after he lost so many in the last war."

David Jewell Senior shot an embarrassed look at Kai past his wife. "Now hon'…"

Kai smiled and waved off the remark. Hopefully the whole thing would blow over and the Jewells would be reunited soon. The Sandovals might want another war with the Draconis Combine, but they were just about the only people in the Federated Commonwealth who did. Probably Haakon Magnusson had said something provocative and the whole war warning was just to try to remind him to tone down the rhetoric about worlds he wanted to claim for the Republic.

* * *

A/N: In case anyone is curious, this is my Nanowrimo project for 2015. It's my longest fanfiction so far and the first draft was written in 29 days. Go me!


	3. Book 1, Chapter 2

Chapter Two

 **The Triad, Tharkad**

 **Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **13 November 3049**

"Phase one redeployments of the AFFC are underway," Ardan Sortek reported, using a pointer to illuminate locations on the map of the Inner Sphere in the centre of the table. "By the end of the year we'll have four Ceti Hussar, five Deneb Light Cavalry and ten of the Federated Commonwealth Regimental Combat Teams in the Tamar March, supported by the Federated Suns Armored Cavalry and four regiments of the Wolf Dragoons."

He lifted his pointer and looked up at Hanse and Melissa. "We've reached the point where we need to decide on our defensive line and whether phase two redeployments go to Tamar or if we need to reinforce the outer end of the Draconis March."

"Thank you, Ardan." Hanse looked at the map and then over at Justin. "I think the second question takes priority here. Justin, what information do we have?"

"Very little at this point." The Minister of Intelligence tapped controls and two stars lit up on the map. "There's been no pirate activity, or communication of any kind from the Valkyrate, the Oberon Confederation or even the Elysian Fields. Two exploratory parties are on their way to drop by on Von Strang's World and Star's End. Unfortunately, the likelihood of their managing to return data is fairly slim if the Clans really are present. Both parties have been fully briefed on Clan traditions and hopefully if they do make contact they can… bargain for favourable terms of combat."

"So the only actual evidence we have of the Clans is one set of recordings from a mercenary regiment?" asked Nondi Steiner.

"That and the atypical silence out of the bandit kingdoms."

"And we're sure this isn't faked somehow?"

"Colonel Camacho's people had absolutely no idea what they encountered. They only shared the data in the hope of salvaging something from what was otherwise a pretty bad defeat. They wouldn't have the information to construct such a fraud." Justin shook his head. "It's possible, of course, that the reasons for the Clans' presence on Gotterdammerung aren't what we believe, but they were definitely present."

"Most probably they're waiting for their frontline forces."

Heads turned to where Natasha Kerensky was sitting, chair propped back and boot heels on the side of her workstation.

"Could you expand on that?" asked Ardan mildly.

She swung her feet down and leant forwards. "They're dealing with bandits. That isn't prestigious enough for the Clans to deploy their best troops. In their view there's no honour to securing forward bases and getting rid of vermin like Morgaine or Ryan. So they probably sent second tier units ahead to clear the way for them. I'm surprised we're even seeing OmniMechs in use, at a guess they wanted to blood some of their newer warriors on something easy so they could see what they were made of before giving them a chance at joining the invasion force."

"You're saying that these are their equivalent of a training cadre?"

"Something like that. Probably they've got solahma units to do the infantry work, but most of them are probably right out of the sibkos."

Nondi shook her head. "Those… kids… tore up two to one odds pretty handily."

"They got into a city fight they had no business trying for and got at least one warrior killed and two 'Mechs badly damaged. Granted that the Jade Falcons have never been the sharpest tools in the box, but if they'd more experience they'd have fanned out to control the perimeter and called in either air strikes or some Elementals."

"Thank you, Natasha. However, to get back on point, is there anything similar happening near the Outworlds Alliance. Justin?"

"Not that we've been able to determine." Justin lit up the portion of the map where the border between the Federated Suns and the Draconis Combine met the Outworlds Alliance. "We've contacted the Outworlds government per the anti-piracy treaty we arranged back in 3042 and they haven't had any unusual activity. We shared the data from Gotterdammerung just in case anything turns up."

"In that case I think that for now we have to work on the basis that the major threat is going to be to the Tamar March," Melissa observed. "What would the phase two redeployments involve?"

"It's primarily made up of large mercenary units. The 12 Star Guards from Tamarind March, the Dioscuri from the Terran March, the Dismal Disinherited from Draconis March and the Screaming Eagles from the Crucis March. Also the Kell Hounds, two of the Royal Guards RCTs and three Lyran Regular regiments."

"Most of them aren't refitted but if we're going to stop the Clans we need to defend in depth and numbers are going to count there." Hanse nodded. "Approved, Ardan. Get them on the move as soon as possible. The next decision is where exactly we draw the line. Nondi?"

The Lyran Commonwealth Marshal of the Armies focused the map in on her command area. "I think we've already discarded Defensive Line Alpha, right at the edge of the Inner Sphere," she concluded.

"Correct. We can retake those worlds if we stop the Clans but we can't stop them there. We've too little information to concentrate our forces in the right places and with our current force strengths we need to bleed them before we slam the door."

"Line Beta writes off all of Wotan PDZ and draws the line from Kolovraty in the Donegal March through Blackjack and to Planting, on the border with the Free Rasalhague Republic." Nondi hesitated and then shook her head. "If we could be sure Rasalhague would also hold them, I'd recommend this line but that isn't my take on their situation."

"I agree." Melissa looked regretful. "Even if we gave them full access to our information there's simply no way that they could upgrade to the point they were ready for this in less than five years."

"We did consider it," her husband reminded her. "At the time, the chance of it becoming public knowledge and triggering an invasion seemed too much of a risk. Let's not get bogged down by hindsight."

"That takes us to Defensive Line Gamma." Nondi lit them up. "It's a longer line, right into the Radstadt salient, but it covers the factories on Sudeten and there's also the political cost if we had to write off Tamar itself. I'm not going to deny we'll be stretched if they push further into the Donegal March but I think this is the best choice. If absolutely necessary, we can hold reserves at Defensive Line Delta, the Benfled line, and either fall back on it or move them forward to plug gaps."

"What's built on Sudeten?" Hanse asked, checking his notes.

"Besides Olivetti's Warhammer factory? It's one of our major factories for upgraded tanks. Sturmfeur and Demolishers as well as J. Edgar hover tanks."

Ardan and Hanse exchanged looks. "Well we don't want to lose those factories. Do we have contingencies?"

"We have alternative component manufacture set up under Project Mulberry. The main assembly unit is another matter, we'd be looking at weeks to take it apart and months to set it up again."

"I think we can all agree on Defensive Line Gamma," Melissa said firmly.

"And warships?" asked Nondi.

"I'm sorry, we're sticking with the existing plans there. I'll authorise tactical nuclear strikes if need be but unless the situation changes we'll be keeping those in reserve to keep Marik and Kurita honest while we're focused on the Clans."

"Not Liao?" asked Nondi snidely.

"That's still under discussion," Hanse said quietly. "Depending on the outcome, you may have some additional units to deploy along Line Gamma."

"There is one more decision to make, your highnesses." Ardan looked over at Nondi. "Meaning no offense, Marshal, but under the circumstances I feel…"

"If you're referring to the Court, Ardan, I believe we're on the same page. It's entirely possible the Clans might decide to launch a deep strike at our command centre her on Tharkad. Under the circumstances, I recommend moving as many Court functions as possible to New Avalon." Marshal Steiner turned to Hanse and Melissa. "That includes both of you and your children."

"That puts us a long and expensive HPG connection away from the frontlines."

"It'll be far less expensive than switching to a regency until Victor's old enough to inherit, particularly with an ongoing war." Ardan looked at Hanse appealingly. "Trust us to do our jobs, Hanse. That little bit of extra security could mean all the difference."

.o0o.

 **Ducal Palace, St Ives**

 **St Ives Compact**

 **15 November 3049**

Victor swore under his breath and stuck the left arm of his namesake 'Mech out of cover to fire the lasers at the 'Mech overlooking his position.

For a change, one of the lasers scored a hit and his displays suggested a second hit to the left arm would penetrate. Unfortunately, the Centurion he was facing didn't have anything particularly significant in that arm. At this range, all that would reach him in her weapon suite were the LRMs and with fiendish accuracy, a flight of five smacked against the armour of his own left arm.

Granting that Victor's armour was considerably thicker, it would have been significantly more use if that hadn't been the first shot he'd landed on Cassandra.

"Your sister," he advised, "Is a witch."

Kuan-yin Allard-Liao, also in a Victor, triggered her autocannon at the incoming heavy 'Mechs piloted by her mother and younger brother. "Prince Victor, after knowing my sister all our lives, I can assure you she is simply that skilled." Then she added something in mandarin that Victor thought he should probably not repeat in polite company. "Although I'll admit she's diabolical in father's 'Mech."

"Want some support?"

"I'd love it. But if you move then Cassandra will be all over our rears and believe me, that isn't something either of us need."

Victor grimaced and conceded the point. The advanced assault autocannon mounted in the right arm of each of their Victors was absolutely devastating at point blank ranges, but Yen-lo-Wang had been upgraded to mount one as well. In fact, the famous duelling 'Mech had been brought up to the standard of a new construction Centurion fresh out of Corean's New Avalon production lines. "Point taken, but if we don't do something about the Cataphracts…"

"We are in rather an unfavourable position." She paused. "Quintus can be occasionally reckless. I'll give him what seems to be an opportunity. When I give the word, please join me and we'll concentrate our fire on him."

"Sounds like a plan."

Checking his display, Victor tried to pick out Cassandra's position in the rubble and broken buildings of the simulated battlefield. It wasn't easy – there was too much metal for magscan to be useful and she wasn't firing enough to seriously strain the powerful heatsinks built into her reactor.

Okay, if sensors aren't going to work, try to get inside her head… What would be the worst possible place for her to be…?

Victor scanned the surroundings and then picked out the best route for approaching under cover, behind a crumbling brick wall easily twice the height of a BattleMech. There was a crackle of static on his sensors that gave away that Quintus was moving close enough for this ECM suite to start affecting targeting. If they were co-ordinating – and why wouldn't they? – then Cassandra might feel she had the opportunity to get close before being detected. In which case…

He raked the base of the wall with his autocannon, the powerful shells tearing a gouge out that was certainly more than the structural integrity of the bricks could withstand. It was about even dice which way the wall would fall but Victor loaded the dice by firing both his SRM launchers and several tons of bricks crashed on top of Yen-lo-Wang.

"Victor! Now!"

Slamming his feet down on the jump jets, Victor brought the Victor around and over the cover behind him to reveal Quintus blazing away at Kuan-Yin's position with his own autocannon and his PPC at a range of under three hundred metres. Victor squared the crosshairs as the knees of his 'Mech absorbed the impact of the landing and fired everything.

The temperature soared – even with the powerful heatsinks fitted to the eighty-ton machine, a full alpha strike pushed it well into the red zone and Victor felt sweat dripping down his face as he slapped the override switch to prevent the reactor from shutting him down.

Quintus reacted quickly, the teenager throwing up both of his Cataphract's arms to shield himself. It worked, but at a cost – the limbs were reduced to skeletal stubs by the combined fire of Victor and his elder sister.

That was when Candace stepped her own Cataphract out of cover and unlimbered her own weapons directly into Victor's already damaged left arm. The status display flickered and then updated: one laser gone, not to mention that significant actuator damage would make aiming the remaining laser somewhat challenging.

Victor feathered his jump-jets to move back into cover and came face to face with Yen-lo-Wang. His reflexive snap-shot with the autocannon hammered into the cityscape behind her while her muzzle tracked un-erringly into the face plate of his 'Mech.

The simulator rocked sharply and the main lights went out, controls dead in Victor's hands. "BattleMech destroyed," a recorded voice announced as the temperature inside began to drop now that heaters were no longer simulating the sensations of an overheating 'Mech.

With a groan he started to unstrap himself from the seat, removing the medical sensors from his biceps and thighs. Only when the safety harness was completely removed did he take off the heavy neurohelmet and set that on its shelf above.

The hatch of the simulator hissed as it opened – in another aspect of the verisimilitude of the pods, they over-pressurised in the same way as a real cockpit would – and Victor clambered out and onto the gantry. As he made his way along it towards the locker room, two more pods opened and he saw Quintus start to emerge from his own simulator. Victor paused and bowed slightly to the third pod when Kuan-Yin's head was visible. "Sorry that didn't go better for us."

She smiled and started unpinning her long dark hair from the bun she wore it in under a neurohelmet. "Even with these new technologies, three on two is a difficult proposition, Victor. If you'll excuse me, I'd rather shower before mother and Cassandra are done, otherwise the after-action debriefing will start in the locker room."

Kuan-Yin turned and walked away from Victor and Quintus, the two locker rooms being at either end of the gantry.

"Your mother and Cassandra aren't done yet?"

"Last 'Mech standing rule," Quintus explained. "Once one team are eliminated, the winners turn on each other. Father doesn't particularly like that but mother says it's 'part of our political education'."

"Ah." Liao, Victor reminded himself and wondered if that was how Candace had interacted with her own siblings. Tormano Liao was a not infrequent visitor to Tharkad, having taken up the role of St Ives ambassador to the Archon's court when he wasn't busy expanding House Liao's financial portfolio in the Commonwealth. Somehow it was hard to see that smooth, cultured man engaged in political infighting.

That might explain why the dominance of the House fell to his sisters, of course, but equally it might simply be that he has a very good façade.

Thoughts such as this followed Victor through his shower and he was halfway dressed when his personal comm started to vibrate. "Victor," he answered curtly.

"No debriefing today, your highness." Candace's voice held a note of tension. "Please come to my office with Quintus. I've had a message from New Avalon that I wish to discuss."

While the 'Mech simulators were one of the many palace facilities buried in among the deep bunkers of the ducal palace, Candace Liao's office was on the second floor of one of the central spires. Rebuilt after a Second Succession War raid by the same Davion Assault Guards regiment Victor was now part of, the palace was heavily fortified and many of the granite and marble pagodas hid concealed weapon emplacements. Candace's own windows looked out on a modest garden in the chinese style.

Candace herself sat with her back to this view, behind the large mahogany desk that she handled most correspondence at. The room's two couches had been moved from the walls to form a V-shape with the desk at the wider end. Cassandra and Kuan-Yin had claimed one of the two couches so Quintus and Victor seated themselves opposite the girls.

"Victor, your father's asked me to inform you of the reasons that the recent war games were cancelled. If the situation continues, it's likely that the rest of your regiment will be briefed in soon, but he wanted you to have advance notice."

"I've been wondering."

"He also apologises to you and I that certain latitudes he's been able to permit until now may no longer be feasible. I've had almost two decades to consider that possibility and I suspect he would have rather explained them to you himself. Unfortunately, the situation doesn't permit."

Victor frowned. "I don't follow that."

"It'll make sense soon." Candace looked at her own children. "Strictly speaking I don't need to inform you of this, but I think it's important you know. Until I give you permission, you aren't to mention our conversation today to anyone outside this room. This is serious business and the consequences of a leak would be extremely damaging. Do you understand?"

The girls nodded and Quintus piped up: "Is this about Kai taking Legendkiller with him instead of Yen-lo-Wang?"

"It's related, after a fashion." Candace raised one eyebrow. "So, can you keep a secret?"

"I probably shouldn't tell you about the secrets I'm already keeping," the boy quipped. "It wouldn't make me seem trustworthy."

His mother nodded with a hint of amusement. "Very well then. Are you all sitting comfortably?"

Victor smiled at the parental expression. Then he saw Candace's expression and the smile slipped off his face.

"Yes, this is a story, your highness. It's also very real. It begins in 2784, when General Kerensky led the SLDF out of the Inner Sphere and out of our known history. It's generally understood that he foresaw the Succession Wars and wanted to remove his armies before they broke up and joined the warring armies of Successor Lords – such as my ancestor Barbara Liao, or your ancestors Jennifer Steiner and John Davion. The process had already begun – the Crucis Lancers and Deneb Light Cavalry descend from soldiers who offered their services to House Davion, while the Northwind Highlanders are the heirs to an SLDF division that Barbara Liao won to her cause."

"In 3005, more than two centuries after their departure, descendants of Kerensky's exodus fleet returned to the Inner Sphere, although no one was sure of their identity for another quarter of a century."

3005? What had happened in that year? Victor thought back and then straightened on the couch. "Wolf's Dragoons?"

"The Wolf Dragoons, yes. Not 'Wolf's Dragoons' as some mistakenly refer to them. While it isn't an uncommon custom for a unit to take their name from their leaders, in this case Jaime and Joshua Wolf, in this case the Dragoons and the Wolf brothers both took their name from the same source, a group known as Clan Wolf. Clan Wolf had sent the Dragoons, equipped out of stockpiles of equipment left over from the SLDF, to gather information on the Inner Sphere."

"To give some background," Candace continued, "Kerensky's armies colonised several worlds a considerable distance from the Inner Sphere – at least a thousand light years away from the edge of the Draconis Combine. We don't know the exact location, since the Dragoons purged their navigational data, but we currently believe these worlds are core-wards of Rasalhague. Unfortunately, tensions between soldiers from different states combined with the fact that they were soldiers - rather than farmers or factory workers who might have been more suited to establishing new colonies - flared into civil unrest."

"Kerensky wasn't a young man, of course, and he died without resolving the problem. Even worse, his deputy had been killed in action shortly before and this left the question of who would succeed Kerensky undetermined. Ironically, having left the Inner Sphere to avoid the Succession Wars, the SLDF now faced a succession crisis of their own."

"One of the contenders was Kerensky's son Nicholas. While we don't have detailed information, he appears to have been both charismatic and ruthlessly efficient. As a relatively junior officer he wasn't able to establish his authority immediately. Instead, he gathered his supporters and while the five principal colonies – the Pentagon worlds - fell into civil war, he retreated to outlying colony worlds with smaller populations but resources that remained untapped. It seems he was able to bring them under his control quite easily and rather than returning to the Pentagon, he elected to reshape the society of his domain and build a new culture and military."

"Part of this vision was to divide his followers into twenty Clans, each of which would be mostly independent and cut across the old national lines. Each would have its own military and its own culture, bound together by a general code of law and guided when necessary by a grand council of the leaders of all the Clans. A new Star League in miniature, you might say. After twenty years of training and preparation, Nicholas Kerensky led his followers back to the Pentagon worlds where decades of conflict had left the other factions exhausted and wearied. He crushed them decisively and spent the rest of his life integrating them into his new society."

"It's not clear how much the Clans have changed over the last two centuries. What is clear is that there's a very stratified caste system, not entirely dissimilar to traditional Capellan society in some ways. The warrior caste are the top and they're led by councils claiming descent directly from the warriors who initially followed Nicholas Kerensky in the conquest of the Pentagon. Rather than traditional dynasties, however, the Clans warriors are conceived in test tubes with genetic material from previous generations and raised in crèches."

"Sounds like the Warrior Houses."

"There are similarities – they're fanatically loyal and they're ferociously skilled." Candace paused. "General Natasha Kerensky is the product of that system, in fact she's a direct descendant of Nicholas Kerensky. Meanwhile, Jaime and Joshua Wolf were the natural born children of a Clan warrior with one of the civilian castes and entered the warrior caste on merit. Some Clans don't permit that, but Clan Wolf are allegedly relatively liberal in that regard."

"Relatively?" asked Victor.

"Relative to other Clans, that is. Their leaders don't have quite the theoretically absolute power wielded by your parents, instead being elected out of the councils. And in general, the caste system is enforced approximately as brutally as my sister's regime in the Capellan Confederation. I believe Justin put it best after discussing the various Clans with Natasha years ago: there are no 'good' Clans, just some Clans that are worse than others."

"It seems probable that there have been changes over time, it's unlikely that the Clans today are exactly as Nicholas Kerensky intended – or even quite the same Clans who sent the Dragoons almost five decades away. Interpretation of their Founder's writings and his father's are one of the few scholarly traditions that survive, other than the science behind the arming and the breeding of their armed forces. The most pressing point here is the interpretation that some of the Clans place on some of those writings."

"It's impossible not to see a parallel between Aleksandr Kerensky's Exodus out of the Star League and his son's withdrawal from the Pentagon worlds. In fact, Clan histories explicitly refer to them as the First Exodus and the Second Exodus. Some of them feel that the parallel should be extended further and argue that just as the Clans eventually returned to the Pentagon worlds and rebuilt them in their own image, so the Clans ought to now be doing the same to the Inner Sphere."

Victor's jaw dropped. "That's… ambitious."

"It isn't entirely clear if they have the ability to fulfil that ambition or not. The Clans certainly don't have the numbers of the old SLDF at their disposal – overall their colonies are relatively small and self-contained. On the other hand, while the Inner Sphere lost access to much of our more advanced military technology over the Succession Wars, the Clans retained the best of the SLDF's hardware and even improved upon it."

"But we've been improving our technology – look at the 'Mechs we were using in the simulators. They're generations ahead of…" Cassandra's eyes widened. "Oh."

Candace nodded. "As you've guessed, a lot of our recent advances – not all – were replicating some of the technology that the Wolf Dragoons provided to us. Back in 3005 we were just beginning to slowly recover. The Dragoons had been sent as a compromise between the pro-Invasion faction and their political opponents. Kerlin Ward, the leader of Clan Wolf, was very much opposed to the invasion and felt that the years it would take for the Dragoons to reach the Inner Sphere and gather information would let the issue fade in priorities."

"What no one particularly foresaw was that the Dragoons, predominantly drawn from natural born warriors and out of contact with the Clans for years on end found that their sympathies lay more with the people of the Inner Sphere – not so much the Great Houses, as the general population. This was crystallised during one of their excursions out of the Inner Sphere when they received new instructions from Kerlin Ward. He advised them that while there was no immediate danger of the Clans invading, the issue wasn't fading away. And however many times the motion was defeated in the Clans' Grand Council, it would only take one successful vote for the invasion to be ordered."

"Kerlin Ward ordered the Dragoons to stop sending reports and instead to do everything they could to prepare us to resist an invasion." Candace steepled her fingers. "And until recently, that's the last that was heard from the Clans?"

"Until recently? Then there's been new contact? Is that why so many regiments are moving towards Tamar?"

"Very good, Prince Victor. A mercenary company carrying out anti-piracy operations in the Greater Valkyrate encountered five 'Mechs from Clan Jade Falcon. The Clans defeated them fairly easily, but not before the mercenaries transmitted full recordings to their dropship which made its escape and fortunately had the sense to forward it to the local AFFC commanders."

"Kai."

Victor looked over at Kuan-Yin and then realised what she had. "The Eleventh Lyran Guards are deployed in that area – Twycross PDZ. If this is an invasion, they'll be right in their path."

"That's correct." Candace placed her hands flat on the desk. "We've always known that if the Clans attacked the Federated Commonwealth their most likely path was either through the Outworlds Alliance and into the Draconis March or through Rasalhague and into the Tamar March. Kai requesting a change of assignment to the Eleventh Lyran Guards instead of the Davion Heavy Guards was unexpected – he couldn't take Yen-lo-Wang with him since the Lyran Guards regiments aren't upgraded with such advanced equipment or the logistics to support it yet. But there was, at the time, no reason to expect the Clans would invade."

"The Eleventh are a very good regiment," Victor offered in weak support.

"Yes. But whether they're good enough…"

"So does that mean the Assault Guards will be redeployed?"

Candace shook her head. "I recall what it's like to be a young firebrand." She reached up and touched her shoulder. "I also remember the price for that. The contingency plans for redeployments to face the Clans are built around moving rapid response forces initially. The Assault Guards, with all their heavy equipment and being oversized even as a Regimental Combat team, would take up a lot more dropships than other units so you're a low priority for shipping to Tamar."

Victor felt his face flush.

"On the other hand, if the Clans do arrive anywhere near the Draconis March as well, the Capellan March will have to be stripped to send reinforcements. And that raises a problem of its own."

"Aunt Romano," guessed Cassandra. "She'd see it as a chance to reclaim St Ives."

Candace nodded. "It seems very likely. Victor's parents and I discussed this a long time ago. At the time, my thinking was that if I seized power from Romano, it would leave the Confederation exposed to House Marik by removing the admittedly tenuous protection of the Kapteyn Pact. Even if the Captain-General himself didn't approve, Andurien and Oriente would be eager to use their provincial forces and even combined the full resources of the Confederation and St Ives would be stretched. The likelihood seemed that I'd then have little choice but to accept further support from the Federated Commonwealth."

"Even if that didn't kick off a new Succession War, you'd still be destroying Capellan independence," Victor concluded. "Meanwhile, with St Ives' independence and the prestige of the worlds father ceded to you, you had the best of both worlds."

"Essentially, yes," she admitted frankly. "There was also the factor that none of us were sure how the Clans would react if their other sources of information about the Inner Sphere – deep periphery traders and the like – reported that the Inner Sphere was being reunited without their intervention. That was certainly one of the factors in your father's decision not to follow up the Fourth Succession War with a similarly overwhelming offensive against the Draconis Combine."

"Of course, none of us realised quite how barbaric Romano's rule would be. And to be fair, Thomas Marik is a far stronger Captain-General – and much less prone to military adventurism – than his predecessors. Still, the fact remains that if I liberate the Confederation from my sister, I'd need the direct support of the Federated Commonwealth to ensure our external security while I dismantle my sister's government."

The four younger people in the room exchanged looks. "Mother, what exactly did you agree to as a price for the worlds Hanse Davion ceded to the Compact in 3030?"

"In return for concrete support and concessions at the time, I agreed that if the Clans did invade and if the Capellan leadership did pose a threat that could distract the Federated Commonwealth from dealing with the Clans, that I would give my full support to seizing control of the Confederation and to integrating the Compact and the Confederation into the Federated Commonwealth as equal members."

"It isn't ideal, but however similar Clan society is to some aspects of Capellan culture, the Federated Commonwealth remains vastly preferable." Candace looked at Victor whose face was paling. "And yes, Prince Victor, while it isn't an absolute requirement, our agreement does include the possibility of transferring the Liao claim upon the First Lord's throne to House Steiner-Davion by way of marriage."

"Mother!"

"Did you think I'd been joking, all of these years, Cassandra?"

.o0o.

 **Eleventh Lyran Guards Headquarters, Maxie's Planet**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **3 January 3050**

"Did you know about this?" asked Dave Jewell quietly as the briefing officer began to go into a more detailed explanation of the Clan menace.

Kai shook his head. The general policy of the Eleventh Lyran Guards was to assign a company's most senior NCO to the same lance as the most junior Leutenant – at least until he'd found his feet. Kai felt fortunate in finding that Dave Jewell was not only a fine MechWarrior and more than diplomatic in guiding Kai through the sometimes labyrinthine regimental traditions… he'd also found a friend.

It might also be that Dave was lonely after his family's departure but whatever the cause, Kai felt relieved that his new lance were gelling well together. Another tradition of the Guards was to shuffle lances regularly so a new Leutenant never felt that he was moving into empty boots.

"My father doesn't bring work home with him. If he did, there probably wouldn't have been any family time at all when I was younger. Plus, he works enough hours when work takes him away that working more would probably kill him."

"Sounds like a good policy." Dave glanced up at the screen. "Do you think those Elementals really are that large? They look like they wrestle BattleMechs for a living."

"I don't think it'd be in the briefing if it wasn't as accurate as possible." Squinting at the numbers, Kai shook his head. "If I was in a Wasp or similar, I'm not entirely sure I'd bet on the 'Mech either."

"Eh, I bet we can take them." MechWarrior Jack Delancie folded his arms confidently. "They've just been playing duelling games out there in the Periphery, they don't know what war's really like."

The other MechWarrior in their lance shook her head slowly. Helen O'Connell-O'Bannon was the oldest of the four by a good many years and she'd earned the nickname 'Double-O' not only for her double-barrelled surname but also with a string of disciplinary reports involving her, alcohol and enlisted personnel from anywhere but the Isle of Skye. "The snakes are pretty keen on turning everything into one-on-one duels when they can get away with it, and they know war pretty damn well. Besides, how much do you know of it? You didn't graduate until '45, Jack."

"Settle down," Kai warned them quietly, realising they weren't the only MechWarriors discussing the situation while the briefing was still on, but also aware that as the regiment's most junior lance commander he was the most likely one to be called on it. "Unless they jump in system tomorrow, we'll have plenty of time to talk after we've heard the whole briefing."

Jack and Helen subsided while Dave shot Kai a quick thumbs up before he also leant back in his seat. Kai took a moment to consider Helen before he turned his head forward again. According to her record, she'd been part of the raid on Dromini VI, one of the last military actions of the Fourth Succession War. There had been raids since but no battles where regiments faced off with their full force – not until now.

Am I ready for this? Is anyone in the regiment, except our handful of veterans, ready? We're rated as an elite unit but that hasn't been put to the test yet.

Sunk in thoughts of this nature, Kai barely noticed that the official presentation had concluded. With the recordings out of the way, General Bryan took the podium.

"That's our new enemy, boys and girls. They sound pretty tough and I'm sure they think they're pretty tough too. But we've got a long history of puncturing that sort of confidence. The Eleventh have done that to the DCMS, to the FWLM, hell I think we even bloodied the AFFS once or twice back before my time. These Clans have come an awful long way to get the same lesson so we'll be ready to give them a warm welcome."

"You heard what the Archon said about not worrying about holding onto ground. She's absolutely, one hundred percent nailed it. There isn't going to be any holding ground going on – Marshal Steiner posted us here because she knows we're the best. When the Clans come – if they don't have a rush of brains and turn themselves around – we're going to hit them hard, hit them fast and keep hitting them until they're crying for their mommies – or their test tubes, whatever."

Kai blinked. That wasn't exactly his take on the orders – he'd gathered that the Archon envisaged more of a fighting retreat to a prepared defensive line well behind Maxie's Planet. He shook his head. What was he thinking? The general had years of experience on him, who was he to second-guess her? Probably she was just firing up the troops, or she had more detailed instructions to work from.

"We've had a couple of months to make good any equipment deficiencies," Sharon Bryan continued at the podium. "Now we're going to shake things out – heavy sweeps through the hills around Frankfurt to make sure everyone's familiar with the ground. If we have any deficiencies, we're going to find them and fix them now."

"And from now on, I want all 'Mechs fully loaded with live ammo. No training rounds. We're going to be at 100% readiness for anything and anyone. No weak links, people. I'm counting on every last one of you to uphold the honour of the Eleventh Lyran Guards."

Kai felt the weight of doom settle on his shoulders. Maybe you should quit now, a traitorous voice whispered inside his head. Head back to St Ives where you can't let anyone down on the battlefield.

.o0o.

 **ComStar Compound, Hilton Head**

 **North America, Terra**

 **9 January 3050**

Real-time HPG communication was expensive, even to ComStar. The Primus' signal was being routed through a chain of stations along the Lyran side of the border and the Precentor-Martial's replies were sent back through a similar chain on the Draconian side. Literally tens of thousands of messages were being delayed in favour of this conversation, not to mention the impact on maintenance schedules and the equipment wear of sustained signals rather than short bursts of compressed data.

Nonetheless, Myndo Waterly considered the effort worthwhile and was she not the ultimate arbiter of that?

"Hanse Davion has issued pre-prepared briefings to regiments all through the Federated Commonwealth," she informed Focht without any preliminary courtesies. "He's specifically identified their enemy as 'the descendants of Kerensky's SLDF' and claims to anticipate an invasion of the Inner Sphere within the next twelve months."

To her satisfaction, Focht's brow furrowed and he picked out the key word immediately. "Pre-prepared? Then this can hardly come as a surprise to him. There must have been prior contact of some kind, maybe years ago."

She nodded sharply. "I've analysts investigating previous pirate activity to check for anything that could match the 'Clans', as he's identified them. Unfortunately we only have a verbal testimony of one of our sources at this time. A transcript should be with you shortly, you may find it useful."

"Thank you, Primus. Do you have any changes to my instructions at this time?"

"The information suggests that these Clans consider warriors to be of primary significance in their society, which suggests your role as our Order's emissary to them is fortunately apt. If they are indeed the heirs to General Kerensky, then it may be that our shared heritage in the Star League could open opportunities to move beyond merely neutrality. Naturally, I don't wish to take the Fox's word at face value."

Focht nodded. "Nor would I suggest it. No doubt even if the information is largely accurate, it will have been shaded to a form which favours his goals."

"Precisely so, Precentor Martial. Indeed, it may be some action by the Federated Commonwealth which has drawn them to return at this time. Your primary goal remains to establish our neutrality and second only to that, gather information about them so that we may draw up more effective policies to manage them. In the meanwhile, I'm sending instructions to all our garrisons, reminding them to be cooperative and non-confrontational should the government of the worlds they're operating from… change hands."

"That seems entirely prudent, Primus. In the event that these Clans object to the defensive forces at our compounds, is it your preference that I should order their withdrawal or would this be considered necessary to our neutrality?"

Waterly frowned at this. "A good point. If absolutely necessary, you may negotiate a withdrawal. Our operative suggests that there are some customs peculiar to the Clans that would allow for such an actions. Since Davion mentions multiple Clans rather than one single entity and suggests that it's unlikely that more than half of the Clans will be participating in the invasion, you may find some Clans more cooperative than others."

"Indeed." Focht nodded. "I regret to advise you that two further Explorer Corps vessels have failed to report in. While it isn't unusual for ships to be occasionally overdue with the vagaries of recharge times in unmapped systems, it does suggest that they may have run into elements of the Clans already. If so, I'll see if they can be recovered."

"So long as it doesn't jeopardize your primary mission, of course."

"Naturally. After all, they may have information applicable to my secondary objective."

"Quite." Waterly tugged on her pale hair. "It's possible Davion will also share the information he has with Haakon Magnusson or even Thomas Marik. In the former case, the Elected Prince may make an approach to you. Under the circumstances it might be best for you to be unavailable."

"With your permission, I can arrange to take a small escort to inspect our security on worlds along the Commonwealth border. If I'm on the move…"

"That will do nicely." She relaxed slightly.

"If I may," the Precentor Martial offered slowly. "It is possible that Hanse Davion will see merit in giving Theodore Kurita advance warning of the Clans."

"Why in the world would he do that?"

"If it were merely Takashi Kurita, I wouldn't expect it. However, if these Clans are indeed coming from somewhere beyond Rasalhague, it's entirely possible he would want the DCMS to put up the best possible fight, grinding themselves down along with any Clans who might otherwise reach the Draconis March."

"Do you really think that the Clans could advance that far?"

"I don't have enough information to judge that, Primus. And in any event, the key question is -"

"Whether Davion feels that they may reach that point. Well-reasoned. I will discuss this with Sharilar Mori. It may be wise to inform Kurita of those ourselves – the father that is, not the son. Theodore Kurita has re-negotiated deals before to our detriment. Takashi is at least predictable."

Anastasius Focht touched the scars that stretched up beneath his eye-patch. "I fear that the Coordinator is unlikely to give much credence to such a report."

"Quite. But he will at least seek to verify it and what the ISF discover may very well be worth our time to acquire."

"You are, as ever, several steps ahead of me, Primus." He glanced aside. "If I pack immediately, I can be on a shuttle off Rasalhague within the hour."

"Then I will not keep you. Blake's blessing upon you, Precentor-Martial Focht."

The holo projector shut off and Waterly turned back to her desk and the next task that awaited her, selecting a suitable replacement for Focht should he fail to return from this mission.

.o0o.

 **CSJS Streaking Mist**

 **Santander System, Periphery**

 **18 February 3050**

"My congratulations on your conquest of Santander V." Ulric Kerensky kept his face steady as he spoke to the saKhan of Clan Smoke Jaguar.

Sarah Weaver nodded curtly and then, with evident effort replied: "Clan Wolf's bandit hunting was notably… efficient."

Ulric returned the nod and then moved on to take his seat next to his own saKhan.

"Did you have to bait her, Ulric?"

"Neg. I chose to do that. When Khan Weaver is angry she makes mistakes. Admittedly, as a Smoke Jaguar she is almost always angry but why take the chance her brain might be functioning normally? Reminding her of how she let a mere pirate kill half the Shroud Keshik from ambush simply eliminates that possibility."

Garth Radick looked like he wanted to sigh. On the one hand, Sarah Weaver was a fellow Crusader and both their clans were here to share in the glory of bringing the Inner Sphere under their reign. On the other hand…

"Since we are bound to this Crusade, Clan Wolf should show we are fit to take the lead in it, quiaff."

"…aff." Ulric always did have the annoying habit of knowing what he was thinking, Radick noted. "Has there been any response from the Dragoons?"

"None." Kerensky looked thoughtful. "Interrogation of some of the bandits we've captured suggests strongly that they took extremely heavy casualties fighting the Draconis Combine some decades ago. Possibly they were wiped out or at least lost most of their leadership."

"It would be good to confirm that. It would give the matter closure and allow the Scientists to make a final judgement on the value of their genetic material."

"Some of their genetic material has already proven extremely valuable."

"And then there's Natasha Kerensky's bloodright."

Ulric nodded. "It might be quite heavily contested if she is dead."

Their conversation was cut short as ilKhan Leo Showers entered the room and took his place on the throne. Although the room was hardly the Hall of Khans on Strana Mechty, the Smoke Jaguars had duplicated the general layout and the presence of so many Khans provided more than sufficient gravitas. More than thirty were present in person. Only Timur Malthus, saKhan of Clan Jade Falcon, and the two Nova Cat Khans weren't present and attended via holo-projection through HPG chains laid out by the advance parties.

"We are convened here at a time of war," Showers reminded them, giving each word weight as his intense gaze swept across the room – measuring each of them. "Everything we do shall be governed under the Code of Martial Conduct." Garth wasn't surprised when the ilKhan's gaze lingered upon Ulric longest of them all. They had an old rivalry. Not just Wolf versus Smoke Jaguar but something more personal.

Ulric is his greatest enemy within the Council. Leo Showers yearns to destroy him, personally, with his own hands if the opportunity presents himself. There was no condemnation in the thought. The ilKhan's feelings were completely understandable to Radick – such rivalry brought out the best in warriors for both men would do their utmost to ensure that they, and their Clans, dominated. "Seyla," murmured Garth along with the other Khans, partly in agreement with Showers but also partly in affirmation of his own thoughts.

"We have reached the threshold of the Inner Sphere. I am assured by the leaders of all four of the Invading Clans that their toumans stand ready to carry out the first wave of Operation Revival. It is not the way of the Smoke Jaguars to draw back before we leap, but as your leader I must speak for all Clans and all Clans must look to me. So I give you all the opportunity to speak, before us all. If anyone sees anything more that should be done, say it now."

Ulric Kerensky rose to his feet and placed his wolfshead helm upon the desk in front of him.

A ripple of noise – less murmuring and more frustrated growls – touched the room but then they fell silent again.

"I am sure, ilKhan, that few here desire anything but the command to begin operations – even if a few units may not be quite in place yet. Not to mention the occasional supply chain to straighten out. I see no reason though, that these problems will not be resolved by the date that has been decided upon for us all to begin operations."

"Your vote of confidence is appreciated."

"Indeed, ilKhan. Yet there is one measure more I believe should be enacted."

"Then you have my undivided attention." Showers' eyes were wary as he looked for what he was sure must be a trap.

Ulric turned to look at one of the other benches. "Khan Breen, Khan Zalman. Your Clan has earned the right to stand as reserve, should any of the four invading Clans falter. While Clan Nova Cat and Clan Diamond Shark may also be called, you stand first in this regard. I submit that it is not sufficient for your forces to remain in the Home Worlds where any such need cannot be filled for between six to nine months. I therefore propose that you assemble the forces you have bid and transport them here as quickly as you can."

"Do you expect it to be your own Clan to fail in this charge?" half-accused Elias Crichell.

"The Grand Council has with great consideration assigned my Clan the corridor with the least likely opposition. I suspect - for various reasons - that other Clans may find that the honour of the other corridors will be harder to win than they believe. If I am wrong, then no serious hardship is caused, but if I am right… Operation Revival is planned to take two years. If there is a need for us to call on our reserves, let us not need to wait more than a quarter of that time between calling upon Clan Steel Viper and their arrival." Ulric bowed his head respectfully and took his seat once more.

"What are you up to?" hissed Garth under his breath.

Ulric's reply was equally quiet. "How much would you wager that the Steel Vipers will bargain for access to existing supply and transit shipping rather than establishing their own jump-chains?"

Khan Natalie Breen had risen to her feet upon Ulric's ceding the floor. "Clan Steel Viper stands ready to fulfil our obligations. The three Galaxies of our invasion force can be here by September of this year, if the Grand Council but gives the word."

"I see no need for such a word." Karl Bourjon was as blunt as he appeared. "Four Clans is already more than sufficient. If one Clan cannot keep the pace then I am sure the others will more than make up for it."

"You're not going to offer them our supply ships, are you?" asked Radick.

"Of course not. The Falcons, Bears and Jaguars want the invasion – let them pay the cost."

The holographic image of Lucien Carns rose. "Clan Nova Cat has made preparations to bring our forces forward if called for. I approve of Khan Ulric's proposal. We all know that the battlefield may change swiftly – reserves that are unavailable might as well not have been bid."

"And if we do not come forward, you will?" suggested Breen angrily. "You have no right to participate in the invasion unless the Steel Vipers do so first!"

"I do not care where the Vipers galaxies are, for we will not need them," bragged Sarah Weaver. "Let us vote now and be done with this."

There was general acclaim at the motion and along with Ulric, Garth cast his vote in favour. While the motion was opposed by the other three invading clans, the Steel Vipers and their traditional allies – the Cloud Cobras and the Star Adders – balanced them out, while the addition of the Wolf, Nova Cat and Diamond Shark votes was followed swiftly by further support by nine of the other Khans.

"The vote is in favour of calling forward Clan Steel Viper by twenty-one to eleven." Showers didn't show any sign of disappointment. "Any Trial of Refusal on this matter will be at odds of 2.1 to 1.1, does anyone wish to call for such a Trial?"

There was no reply so the ilKhan nodded. "So be it. Clan Steel Viper is hereby ordered to deploy their forces to the edge of the Inner Sphere by the end of September 3050. Your final bid to participate in Operation Revival was Alpha Galaxy, Gamma Galaxy and Zeta Galaxy. I am sure the Khans of the four Clans will bear this in mind in deciding when or if to call on you."

"What worlds will we use as our staging grounds?"

Ulric smiled thinly at the Steel Viper Khan. "Whichever worlds you care to take, Khan Breen. Whether it is from one of us or some marginal colony we have not found yet matters little to me."

Garth could practically hear the ilKhan's teeth grinding. Clan Wolf, not hampered by the need to bid for participation after the Grand Council voted that as the Clan of Kerensky's bloodline they must participate, had brought a substantial number of garrison units to secure new holdings. The other invaders hadn't – and now they had to envisage the Steel Vipers descending on lightly guarded worlds to their rear…

.o0o.

 **ComStar Internal Document**

 **ROM Report #3042-5848796/F-L**

 **Non-Classified**

The combination of the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces (LCAF) and the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns (AFFS) has necessitated a common table of ranks. In order to manage what is now the largest single military force in the Inner Sphere since at least the end of the First Succession War, the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth (AFFC) have adopted a slight rationalisation of the LCAF ranks for officers, with a total of twelve officer ranks. Enlisted ranks compromise between the nine LCAF enlisted ranks as compared to four for the AFFS so the AFFC has six ranks for enlisted soldiers. They've also extended the previous German-tradition military ranks of the LCAF from officers to enlisted, whereas previously both nations used English-tradition rank titles for enlisted.

The most junior enlisted rank is Soldat (literally: Soldier) which is accorded upon completion of basic training. This is equivalent to the previous rank of Private in the AFFS and LCAF. Relatively few soldiers, even limited term draftees, remain at Soldat for their full career as barring significant misdemeanour, promotion to Gefreiter (lit: Exempted) is automatic after one year of service, which usually includes advanced training of some kind. Usually at least half of any infantry squad or vehicle crew will hold the rank of Gefreiter, which is equivalent to AFFS Corporals or LCAF Privates First Class.

The first rank at which leadership is expected of a soldier is that of Stabsgefreiter (lit: Staff-Exempted). This is the rank of a crew or squad leader and therefore also the rank held by an Academy graduate who hasn't completed a command course, which is the case for many MechWarriors or Aerospace pilots. The position is roughly equivalent to Sergeant in either precursor militaries or a LCAF Senior Corporal.

To provide an experienced non-commissioned officer to the leadership of every company or equivalent organisation, experienced soldiers may rise to the rank of Feldwebel (lit: field usher) which is roughly equivalent to an LCAF Staff Sergeant. At the battalion level, this position requires the rank of Stabsfeldwebel (lit: staff field usher) and each regiment has a single Oberstabsfeldwebel (lit: over staff field usher). As such, these positions are roughly equivalent to the various grades of Sergeant Major in other militaries.

Officer ranks begin with Leutenant (lit: lieutenant) which unlike the LCAF rank of the same name is considered a commissioned rank. With the exception of field promotions in a time of war, all Leutenants must have completed a command course at an academy or a specialised command school. Leutenants are assigned command of a Lance or Platoon. The next step is promotion to OberLeutenant (lit: over lieutenant) and service as second in command of a company. In most units this includes command of a Lance as well – the propensity of units such as the Federated Commonwealth RCTs to operate reinforced companies with four lances can leave an OberLeutenant in independent command of a short company for extended periods.

Command of a company is usually assigned to a Hauptmann (lit: head man) although some specialist companies may be commanded by a Kommandant (lit: commandant). More commonly a Kommandant will be in command of a battalion or filling a staff position in a RCT or regional headquarters. The old LCAF rank of Hauptmann-Kommandant has been abolished and the second-in-command of a regiment is now always ranked as a Leutenant-Colonel whether they operate as the senior battalion commander or as chief of staff.

The one rank which was the same in name and responsibilities for both the AFFS and the LCAF was Colonel and this remains the case for the AFFC, which reserves the rank for regimental commanders. This is the most senior rank to which an officer can rise without attendance at one of the AFFC's two General Staff Colleges (attached respectively to the Nagelring academy on Tharkad and Sakhara Academy in the Draconis March). It also acts as a gateway rank in that no officer who hasn't commanded a regiment will be considered for promotion to greater responsibility. With this rank the AFFC hopes to prevent the rise of new generations of 'social generals'.

Having studied at a General Staff College and served as a regimental commander, an officer can expect to be promoted to Leutenant-General and serve in a staff or administrative role. The most prized roles are to act as aide to a Marshal or to be chief of staff in a RCT. The former is an opportunity to attract patronage for future advancement while the latter is likely to be the last opportunity to directly participate in combat, although such chances are slim.

Roughly equivalent to an AFFS Major General or LCAF Hauptmann-General, the AFFC Kommandant-Generals take charge of specific combat commands within those RCTs which maintain permanent sub-formations or head up an entire March Militia. For example, the Federated Commonwealth Corp RCTs each operate three combat commands built around a mechanized infantry regiment and reinforced battalions of BattleMechs, hover tanks and heavy tanks. Command of a complete frontline RCT is the responsibility of a General although such officers may also take charge of a major administrative department.

The three remaining ranks of the AFFC are concerned not with individual units but geographic region. Marshals command all forces active within a Polymorphous Defence Zone or an Operational Area. Field Marshals command all forces active within an entire March, of which there are seven at this time. At this stage the ranks begin to cross the line from military to political positions: the latest update to Burke's Peerage states that Marshals hold the honorary title of Marquis/Margrave while Field Marshals are deemed honorary Dukes. In addition, in the Draconis March and Capellan March the Dukes of Robinson and New Syrtis respectively hold 'first refusal' rights on the position of Field Marshal, a precedent which the Duke of Tamar is eager to adopt with regard to his own hereditary domain.

The most senior rank in the AFFC is Marshal of the Armies, which is the rank held by the commanders of the two State Commands and the commander of the AFFC as a whole. Ardan Sortek, previously Prince's Champion, fills the latter role while Archon Melissa Steiner's aunt, Nondi Steiner, heads Lyran State Command. Her counterpart in the Federated Suns State Command is First Prince Hanse Davion's nephew: Morgan Hasek-Davion, formerly Field Marshal of the Capellan March.

.o0o.

 **Imperial City, Luthien**

 **Pesht District, Draconis Combine**

 **14 March 3050**

Takashi Kurita sat upon the throne of his ancestors and contemplated the weakening brought on by time. When he was a younger man he would have sat in seiza on the floor as a samurai should. But aging joints no longer permitted and thus the Dragon Throne, previously reserved for ceremonial occasions, was now used every day.

Before him sat Subhash Indrahar, his strong left hand. Age had touched him even more heavily than his master for while Takashi might find the need on occasion for a suitably regal walking cane, the chief of the Internal Security Force was now confined to a wheelchair. And the years had not only withered away at his limbs. Takashi refrained from baring his teeth. The Dragon needed no friends. It was unfortunate, nonetheless, that the loyalty of the spy was at best now divided between the Dragon and the Dragon's heir.

And that took him to the third man in the room. His son, Theodore.

His failure.

Certainly he was not yet fit for the throne – too soft – and might never be. He was no samurai, not in his heart. Still, it was worthy of note that the younger Kurita was not entirely without skill. The vanity of youth was less pronounced and his actions fighting the Steiners twenty years before had been acceptable. A shame there had been no opportunity to test him against Davion or even against the Wolf. But Takashi was growing used to disappointment. Perhaps there remained some hope for his grandsons to show promise…

"The Gunji no Kanrei has lost track of three of my regiments," he enquired with careful dispassion. "And in an area that sees only bandits and the upstart Rasalhaguans? Most curious."

Theodore had not yet broached the subject of the meeting, nor reported those losses, but he ignored the implied reprimand. "It would seem that bandits and Rasalhaguans are no longer the only opponents the DCMS faces in this area."

"The First Alshain Regulars, the Fourth and the Seventh Pesht Regulars… I recall that the District Regulars might be considered the stalwarts of the Combine. Faithful to their Warlords and to the throne." Takashi sat back. "Yet it seems that they may have been neglected if they have been so easily swept aside." And where would the blame lie for that?

"My father is correct to question this," Theodore agreed blandly. "With the Federated Commonwealth mobilising and our long border with his realm, it may be that regiments elsewhere may not have received the same share of the limited resources available to me as your deputy."

Takashi considered in his mind's eye the map of the Draconis Combine that stood behind his throne. Every world on it was marked by precious stones and it was updated at all times. Many worlds once marked out at his accession now had been removed as a result of the Lyran offensive twenty years ago. The worlds claimed from the Federated Suns did not adequately recompense for this, and that was before his son allowed Rasalhague to go its own way. Now five more worlds might need to be removed.

"And how does the Gunji no Kanrei propose that the Dragon will address this affront?"

Theodore turned his head slightly. "The Dragon's eyes and ears may first inform him as to the nature of this adversary."

"As they should. Speak, Director."

Subhash's famous smile was reserved for social occasions and now he was all business. "My lord, we have first received information from within the Federated Commonwealth. This information, we believe, was leaked to us deliberately by Davion's Minister of Intelligence although whether it is to mislead or to inform us remains unclear."

"Prince Davion has had his soldiers instructed that the redeployments being carried out – which we know from other sources are assembling a very sizeable army in the region of Tamar – are to meet with the degenerate descendants of General Kerensky's armies. He claims that these descendants have developed martial skill and military technologies on par with or exceeding those available anywhere in the Inner Sphere but at the cost that they have lost sight of civilised mores entirely."

"The specific data he provides to describe these clans is largely in agreement with the reports we have received from Richmond, Rockland, Schwartz, Tarnby and Altona. The invaders' general organisation and equipment, including BattleMechs never previously encountered and a form of armoured infantry that has significantly challenged our samurai is much as Davion informs us. There is some minor deviation as he cites an encounter with a group known as 'Clan Jade Falcon' while the challenges issued to our commanders speak of 'Clan Smoke Jaguar'. This is accommodated by the data, which indicates that these Clans are in alliance to some degree."

"Are you suggesting that we take this information 'gifted' to us by the Fox at face value?"

"The Dragon's words, as ever, cut to the heart of the matter. This is very nearly too convenient. While it would be foolish to rule out the possibility that Hanse Davion may sincerely desire that we are informed accurately of these Clans, it would be a very well executed gambit if these were instead soldiers of the AFFC carrying out these attacks. Should we devote our attention to this matter and weaken our defences elsewhere, we could find ourselves exposed to invasion. Should we ignore it then the troops built up at Tamar can use the Radstadt salient to assault Alshain and thus threaten the heartlands of the Combine from two directions. Converging thrusts from the Periphery and Tamar could meet directly here."

"The one flaw in that argument is that if these are AFFC troops then they have a significant advantage in equipment. We've obtained samples of SLDF equipment overlooked by ComStar when they delivered entire regiments of BattleMechs to us in exchange for permitting the creation of the Free Rasalhague Republic." Theodore shook his head. "Even compared to the reverse-engineered technologies from this, the invaders have significant advantages in the power, range and even weight of their weapon systems. There have also been reports – admittedly, unconfirmed - that the invasion forces arrived in system escorted by warships of Star League design."

Takashi froze. "No warships have been used since the last of our fleet was destroyed facing the last Lyran warship centuries ago. Surely this report is mistaken."

"There have been reports of major construction taking place at several of House Davion and House Steiner's major shipyards, for several years – Galax, Shipil, Alarion… even Panpour. The conclusion drawn at the time was that this was to support the significant increase in construction of Overlord-class dropships. However, with the financial resources of two Great Houses, it is possible – barely – that more ambitious projects could have taken place." Indrahar bowed his head. "My analysts do not think that powerful vessels could have been built, but possibly ships previously considered uneconomic to restore to service may have been reconsidered."

"If the Federated Commonwealth does have such a fleet," Theodore observed, "Not to mention a significant number of regiments with highly advanced technology and soldiers who might possibly be as skilled as our own Sword of Light, then there would be little need for such a complex plan. It would be extremely difficult to prevent him from simply breaking our defences around Dieron and Benjamin, isolating well-defended worlds and overwhelming their defences one at a time with overwhelming force."

The Gunji no Kanrei reached to his face, as if to tweak the moustache he no longer wore. "This hangs on limited information, of course. If we are facing the descendants of the SLDF then they would certainly have access to warships of these types. And the Fourth Succession War has shown at great cost how unwise it is to under-estimate Hanse Davion, as Maximilian Liao did."

Takashi stroked his chin. "Your intentions then?"

"We have, as yet, no indication that the Ministry of Intelligence has successfully identified the extent and disposition of the hidden regiments over the last two decades. Since Hanse Davion has shown his hand to some extent, I intend to respond with these regiments. Thus there will be no obvious reduction in our border defences. Once we have prisoners and samples of the invaders technology we will be able to verify their origins and establish longer term plans to deal with them."

"You appear to have considerable faith in these Yurei regiments of yours. Yet none of them have seen true action and it will take weeks or months to bring them to bear."

"All soldiers must face their first battles at some point and I can hardly offer them greater motivation that to say the Combine may stand or fall depending on their performance. In addition, it's my intention to deploy them as massed brigades."

"Hmm." Takashi dismissed that concern for now. "And there is one further point of concern."

Theodore looked at the map, at Turtle Bay, only one jump from Rockland. "Soon it will be your grandson's first battle. Make sure he knows we want prisoners." And victory, for if he cannot deliver that then I must begin to prepare his brother as a successor.

.o0o.

 **Forbidden City, Sian**

 **Sian Commonality, Capellan Confederation**

 **1 April 3050**

There should have been alarms going off.

The sound of gunfire – small arms nearby and larger weapons further away – should not have happened without warning. Security around Chancellor Romano Liao and her family was extensive and intrusive at all times. Death Commandos, Warrior House 'Mechs and infantry, the entire Red Lancers regiment…

Sun-Tzu Liao found it more than a little distressing that all these precautions came to essentially nothing.

The first clue he'd had of danger was when he was dragged out of bed by a security detail. Not towards one of the evacuation routes but deeper into the administrative sections of the Forbidden City. The fog of sleep hadn't lasted long and it was entirely gone before two Imarra infantry caught hold of his wrists and a third used clippers to sever the longer fingernails on three fingers of his left hand.

They'd had to use metal clippers since, like his father, he'd had them reinforced and edged to use as a weapon of last resort. If it had been to disguise him for an escape they'd have at least asked. So Imarra was compromised. Not good.

Now he was sat in a relatively modest office, one full of dust and shadows. He'd never been in the room before but he knew what it was.

Justin Xiang's office. The room where the downfall of the Confederation had been plotted out. It had been sealed long ago on the orders of Sun-Tzu's mother for reasons that she'd never explained. So far as he knew, she'd never come here.

"I apologise for the dust. Housekeeping seems to have been a low priority since I was last here." The owner of the office was sat in his old chair as if nothing had changed in the last twenty-one years. A subdued suit, one gloved hand. A touch of grey in the hair perhaps. "We haven't met before, but I'm sure you know who I am."

So that was how it was going to be. "Your name's come up once or twice, Justin Allard."

"Hmm." The dark eyes settled on him measuringly. "My wife and your mother are settling their differences. It seems to me it's not wise for men to get involved in that sort of conversation so I've arranged for us to be out of the way."

Sun-Tzu nodded silently. There was wisdom in those words – but not much reassurance.

"I'm not sure your father takes the same view. If he survives tonight, perhaps we can ask him." Justin reached down – not into a drawer but instead an open case beside him. "Would you like some water? I brought my own."

"Thank you." Sun-Tzu caught the bottle and removed the cap. His fingernails still glittered and he considered what his mother would expect him to do right now. Kill the spy and avenge… sundry wrongdoings. Just accepting this water would probably be treason in her eyes. "How long has this been planned, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Long before I was a factor. Candace and your mother have hated each other since they were children. I imagine that if Candace was Chancellor that your mother would have had plans for a coup underway as a matter of course. No way to raise a family in my opinion, but your grandfather only ever had very selective interest in my advice."

"And you told him what he wanted to hear."

"Most of the time, yes. Wouldn't you have?"

"You realise that if things go wrong for… Aunt Candace that you'll probably die? Me too, of course, but…"

"Well I married her for better or for worse. And my presence is probably worth a few percentage points in shifting the chances in her favour so…"

Sun-Tzu inclined his head. "I admire your devotion to her."

"No, you don't." Justin smiled. "In many ways you remind me of your grandfather's better traits. But you strike me, nephew, as one thing that he wasn't."

"Oh?"

"You're a survivor. Which suggests to me that you might see some benefit in coming to an accommodation with the new Chancellor. There would be plenty of room for an able government minister who happens to be the Chancellor's nephew. Who else do you intend to look to for support? Thomas Marik? Thomas Calderon? I think we can rule out Emma Centralla and after that the list gets a bit short."

Sun-Tzu nodded slowly. "I'm surprised that your Prince permitted this… adventure, given what I'm informed is something of a crisis developing on the Rasalhague border."

"Actually that crisis is exactly why Prince Davion and my wife decided this was necessary. You see, it's going to necessitate stripping the Capellan March and the St Ives Compact of much of their garrisons. Quite honestly, I couldn't quite see Romano passing up on the opportunity to try to… reacquire certain worlds and settle their sibling feud in her own favour."

"So my mother's being killed because she's a nuisance."

Justin considered and nodded. "And we're imposing a new Chancellor because the most likely alternative to us doing so is Thomas Marik doing exactly the same. You'll excuse me for a little bias in thinking that this is the best of some less than optimal choices."

"I can understand that position."

"Something tells me your sister won't, but fortunately that won't be my problem." Justin turned his head towards the door and Sun-Tzu realised the sounds of gunfire inside the palace had died down.

The door opened to reveal Candace Liao, dressed simply and carrying a laser rifle slung on her shoulder.

"Candace."

She smiled slightly at her husband and then turned to Sun-Tzu. "I trust Justin has explained the situation, nephew?"

"In outline," he conceded and rose from his chair. He hesitated a moment and then bowed his head to the woman who had just killed his mother. "Chancellor Liao."


	4. Book 1, Chapter 3

Chapter Three

 **Schwarzwald, Maxie's Planet**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **13 May 3050**

Kai switched his gaze from the radar display to his surroundings and then back again. The invaders had landed on planet the day before, despite spirited resistance by the Eleventh Lyran Guards Aerospace Fighters. Outnumbered almost two to one, the enemy's heavy fighters had torn apart efforts by light interceptors to disrupt their formations and then fallen on the Lucifers closing on their dropships.

The best that could be said at this point about the airspace above the Schwarzwald was that the Jade Falcons didn't have uncontested control of it. Numbers had seemed so imbalanced that General Bryan had held back a squadron of heavy Chippewas to provide ground support. They had about an equal number of opponents left to deal with and combined with the efforts of anti-aircraft units on the ground – such as Kai's Rifleman – that was enough to curtail strafing and bombing runs by the enemy aerospace fighters.

The relatively thick woodland of the Schwarzwald was another factor, Kai suspected. Quite a lot of the time the trees towered over even ten metre tall BattleMechs and his field of vision above was quite limited.

"All clear over the next rise," reported Dave Jewell. His Wolverine was the fastest 'Mech in the lance and thus he was taking point in moving through the woods.

"Thanks, Dave." Kai pushed the Rifleman a little harder towards the rise. He wanted to be over it and back in cover before that status changed. "Fury One, this is Fury Nine. We're moving forward."

"Nine, this is Fury One. Roger that."

Behind them, the other two lances in Fury Company positioned themselves to give fire support if it was needed. Despite General Bryan's rousing speech at the start of the year, she'd ordered a slow and systematic approach as the guards' 'Mechs moved through the woods. The Schwarzwald lay directly between the Jade Falcon's landing zone and the planetary capital and it was the most likely place for an encounter – unless the Falcons were ignoring the Guards' approach entirely. It was also terrible ground for the heavy tanks and hover tanks that made up most of their supporting armoured regiments so all three armoured regiments and two of the infantry regiments were using underground transit routes constructed under the Star League to bypass the forest entirely.

If the Jade Falcons were waiting at the far edge, expecting only the 'Mechs to arrive, they'd instead find themselves facing a well-balanced battle group containing almost all the RCT's heavy firepower. If they didn't then they'd be fighting under conditions that would negate most of their range advantage and also have the tanks and infantry at their rear.

Over the ridge and Kai dropped Legendkiller to one knee, raising the large lasers and autocannon in his 'Mech's arms to cover the next ridge. Dave Jewell positioned himself to flank him, the PPC that had been fitted in place of the autocannon ready for the same mission.

A moment later and they were passed by the other half of the lance, Jack's Enforcer and Helen's Hunchback moving down to the bottom of the slope where their shorter ranged weapons could combine fire with Kai and Dave.

There was still no sign of activity. "Fury One, Fury Nine. We're clear."

Rather than acknowledgement or the arrival of the 'Mechs of the other two lances, there was nothing but static on the line for a long moment. And then: "Fury Nine, hold ground. We have reports of contact from Third Battalion but it sounds like they're being hit from behind."

Behind? "Roger, Fury One. Holding position."

"Are you picking anything up, Jack?"

The MechWarrior paused before answering Dave's question, presumably checking the active probe that should pick up anything lying in ambush among the trees – particularly the armoured infantry described in the briefings. "Nothing on my sensors."

Kai stood his 'Mech up and backpedalled slightly so his shoulders rose above the ridgeline, then rotated his left arm to bring the guns to bear directly to the rear.

"Feeling paranoid, LT?"

"Just covering the bases." Kai pulled up a map. "Given the terrain either side of the Schwarzwald, how long would you think it would take a fast force of light 'Mechs to circle around and reach the regiment's rear."

"Two, maybe three days depending on how you define fast. The old mining areas are unstable as hell and there's been a lot of flooding."

"Which would be pushing it to get someone behind us if you started from when the dropships landed," Kai concluded. "And that means they..."

"Found some other way?" asked Helen.

"They must have used the tunnels." Kai closed his map. "That would take them a day at most."

"There are entire regiments of tanks and infantry down there," she protested.

"There were entire regiments, Double-O. If they got caught at close quarters down there by the enemy's battle armour, they could still be jammed up down there – take out the tanks at the front and then roll up the column from front to back. The Elementals could even use the service side-passages to work around them and take out the tanks at the back, making it impossible to retreat."

Dave half-turned his 'Mech. "I'm thinking it might be smart for Jack and I to take a quick look over the next ridge, just in case we have to move that way in a hurry, sir. We've jump-jets so we can back up quickly if there looks to be trouble."

"Sounds good to me. Double-O, back up so we can cover each other."

The older MechWarrior started backing up in her Hunchback. "I miss my old autocannon. At the ranges in here it'd be more use than this pop-gun."

"I guess they call that progress." Helen's Hunchback had been refitted to use a heavy multi-ammunition autocannon with twice the range and ammunition load. It did give up some of the raw firepower though.

"Heh. Listen, LT, any truth to them having multi-ammunition assault autocannon on the new construction Centurions?"

Kai cleared his throat. He hadn't known his father was going to the expense and trouble of having Yen-lo-Wang refitted until it was too late and he'd been locked in as going to a regiment where he wouldn't be able to use the gift. Legendkiller was a fine 'Mech but the Centurion was the one that Justin Allard had wanted to entrust his son's safety too. Just another way I let you down, father.

"That's what I've heard, Double-O. You'll have to give up the TAG system and anti-missile turret though."

Double-O snorted. "Like I'd care if I had a gun like that to use."

"Are you sure you've not got a little Davion in you?" Jack asked over the lance frequency.

"Hell, I've never even met Prince Victor."

"Fury-Nine, we have contact," snapped Hauptmann Hendricks – Fury One. "Looks like five Kit Fox 'Mechs and a couple of dozen Elementals. Third Battalion report twice as many on them and they're being forced north. We're going to regroup on your position and play anvil while the rest of the battalion are the hammer."

"Understood, Fury One." Kai switched channel. "Dave, Jack, get back here. We have incoming."

"Roger."

Turning further, Kai brought both arms to bear in the right direction then went back to the radar. Nothing in the sky above that he could see. That was one small mercy.

Ober-Leutenant Marcone's Archer came into view, followed by a Crusader. There was something wrong with them – partly their awkward gait and partly, Kai realised, the small armoured figures clinging to them and tearing away at the 'Mechs with claws and lasers.

Although both 'Mechs were batting at the Elementals with their heavy forearms, it didn't seem to be having any great effect. "Double-O, use cluster rounds," he ordered and drew a bead with his autocannon on one of the Elementals, not wanting to use his lasers in case he over-penetrated and caused more damage to the friendly 'Mechs.

The slightly lower-pitched retorts of Helen's autocannon were a counter-point to his own guns. One burst missed both 'Mech and Elemental, but the second stream of shells caught the Jade Falcon squarely and he fell from Marcone's 'Mech.

Although he'd heard the briefing about the resilience of Elementals, a thrill of fire went through Kai as he realised the Elemental was rising to its feet and apparently game to continue the battle.

Then Marcone whirled around and lashed out with one of the Archer's blocky feet, treating the infantryman as if he were a soccer ball. The Elemental went tumbling across the forest floor and this time it didn't rise.

Continuing the turn, the Ober-Leutenant opened fire on one of the Elementals still clinging to the Crusader. Armour already pockmarked by scars from the cluster rounds fired at it by Helen's Hunchback, the Jade Falcon didn't survive hits from two 5cm lasers at point-blank range.

Kai took a moment to sigh in relief and then a 'Mech stalked out of the shadows of the trees behind Marcone.

It was sleek and predatory, muzzle-smoke rising from what was clearly a powerful autocannon in one arm. The other arm ended in a hand but it was ringed by several laser emitters. Even as Kai turned to bring his guns to bear, this arm rose and lasers flashed as megajoules of energy were pumped into the back of the Archer.

Although the Archer was notorious for its thick armour even compared to some 'Mechs ten or fifteen tons heavier, no 'Mech carried as much armor on the rear as they did on the front and flanks.

Now the rear armour of Marcone's 'Mech peeled away under the savage barrage and hidden beneath that armour were the vitals: engine, gyro, missile launchers and the ammunition bins.

One shot, at least, penetrated the latter and seventy tons of BattleMech disintegrated, the remains scattering themselves across the woods.

"That's no Kit Fox!" exclaimed Dave as he jumped his Wolverine up to join Kai and Helen at the top of the hill.

"Stormcrow. Bring it down." Kai unleashed both autocannon and the coaxial lasers at the 'Mech. Unbelievably, the intelligence on the Clans suggested that they considered the fast and deadly medium 'Mech to be aging and in need of replacement.

Sluggish as its heatsinks tried to shed the heat built up by the laser salvo, the Stormcrow side-stepped and narrowly avoided Dave's PPC shot. Armour peeled away under autocannon fire from Kai and Helen while the large lasers saved away entire plates from the left leg and left arm – at the expense of similarly raising his own internal temperature.

The Crusader added its own short-ranged weapons to the onslaught, connecting it to the Jade Falcon 'Mech with missile contrails, machinegun tracers and its own lasers.

Apparently unconcerned, the Stormcrow locked its right arm and fired a long burst from the autocannon. A torrent of shells tore into the Crusader's leg, shattering armour, blasting apart myomer bundles and finally severing the limb just above the knee.

"Blake's blood! I want a gun like that!" exclaimed Helen.

"If we don't deal with it that Falcon will give it to you muzzle first," Dave told her.

Jack Delancie's Enforcer sailed over the crest of the ridge and landed below Kai. "I'll go get our guy!" he called. "Give me cover."

"Dammit, Jack!"

The Stormcrow broke into a run, twisting between trees to mask it from return fire as it made its own run towards the fallen Crusader. Kai fired again at it, staggering laser pulses to try to bring his heat back under control.

Jack lowered his Enforcer's guns and focused them, not on the Stormcrow but on an Elemental, the second that had been clawing at the Crusader and was now trying to crack the cockpit of the fallen 'Mech. The 8cm laser severed one leg and autocannon shells finished the job, tearing through the chest armour and in some cases out through the combined missile launcher/jump pack that made up the rear of the suit.

A Sentinel burst from the trees, running towards Kai's position. Maria Edgehill, he remembered. Part of the command lance. Jack half-turned as if to fire upon her then held his fire as he recognised the Lyran Guards colours banded on the shoulders.

The hesitation cost him for there was a second 'Mech behind the Sentinel and the moment it saw Jack, the missile racks in each arm vomited a full salvo of LRMs.

Even the full fury of those missiles wasn't enough to defeat the Enforcer's armour, but caught off guard Jack staggered and only avoided a fall by catching himself with one arm against a tree.

And then the Stormcrow darted out, ignoring the punishing fire of Kai's lance to fire three lasers into the chest before adding a short burst from the autocannon.

The left arm, the one Jack was using for support, went limp as the shoulder was shattered by those impacts. He cried out as the Enforcer fell and fired the autocannon desperately, shells digging into the forest floor.

A second volley of missile arched through the Schwarzwald and the Enforcer took the full force of them to the head and shoulders.

Inside Kai's cockpit, the telemetry from Jack Delancie's 'Mech went dead.

Dropping his crosshairs slightly, Kai triggered one autocannon and then the other.

His shells smashed directly into the Stormcrow's left knee-joint and the 'Mech lurched as the joint locked.

"Fury Nine to all Fury units. Sound off."

"There's no one left." Maria Edgehill's voice was ragged. "Fury Nine, the Hauptmann and Ober-Leutenant are both down."

Kai clenched his fists around the control sticks. "Alright." It wasn't, but what else could he say?

"Daring One, Fury Nine."

The battalion command frequency gave no response.

"Fury Nine to any unit in Second Battalion."

Nothing. Maybe he was being jammed. It didn't make sense that an entire battalion could simply be wiped out so quickly.

The Stormcrow limped into the cover of the trees and the Kit Fox followed suit, launching LRMs up and over the tree branches, raining them down on what was left of Fury Company.

"We can't go back so we have to go forwards. We'll make for the rendezvous on the far side of the Schwarzwald. Best speed of the slowest 'Mechs." Which was he and Helen. "Hopefully the rest of the regiment will be doing the same." Probably the wrong orders but at least it was some direction. Better a bad plan than none.

And maybe there'll be another officer there or this will make the La Mancha scenario look like a training match between NAMA and Albion cadets.

.o0o.

 **Forbidden City, Sian**

 **Sian Commonality, Capellan Confederation**

 **14 May 3050**

"You summoned me, Chancellor."

"I did, nephew." Candace gestured to the chair opposite her. "I thought you could do with a break from tedious questions regarding your sister."

"Your Maskirovka have been quite polite."

"They should be. Justin trained them so well I almost don't notice when they send him reports."

Sun-Tzu realised he hadn't quite disguised his reaction to that remark.

Chancellor Candace Liao smiled narrowly. "I love my husband but I have no illusions about his loyalties. We elect not to bring those matters into our relationship."

"And your relationship with Hanse Davion?"

"Hanse Davion and I are not friends and never will be – but he has my respect. His wife is my friend though – and she would take betrayal very poorly. Do not make the mistake of assuming Melissa Steiner-Davion is less than a full partner in the governance of the Federated Commonwealth."

"I will keep that in mind you I ever be in a position of responsibility, Aunt Candace."

She nodded. "That will be sooner than you envisage, Sun-Tzu. I have glowing reports of you and I don't intend to let that resource go to waste."

"I am at your service."

"Good. I'm going to appoint you as my special ambassador to New Avalon. We have delicate negotiations to carry out and I want a family member to represent me."

"I would have thought…" Sun-Tzu considered how to phrase this. "I had the perception, at least, that Uncle Tormano was usually your choice for such matters."

"For different reasons, neither Hanse Davion nor myself wants Tormano involved in this matter." She shook her head. "Your mother probably makes the common assumption that our alliance against her when we were younger was a matter of fondness for each other – it was more a matter of mutual contempt for her. If Tormano could supplant me as Chancellor he would. For that reason, he will always be Hanse Davion's threat to me: not one he would use only at need but… what do you know about our military deployments?"

"I've been out of circulation."

"To help me secure the worlds of the Confederation from Romano's adherents, Hanse provided twelve regiments of mercenaries, not to mention regular AFFC units to protect St Ives until the matter was settled. Those units are his guarantee that the AFFC won't be so distracted by fighting the Clans that Thomas Marik could add us to the Free Worlds League. They're also his guarantee that I won't renege on agreements made twenty years ago."

Sun-Tzu frowned. "And these agreements are what you're sending me to negotiate?"

"My concern after the Fourth Succession War was that Hanse Davion would conquer the entire Capellan Confederation and crush everything that makes us distinct. You have surely heard of how Federated Suns carpet-baggers would descend on a newly conquered world, buying up shares of business at token prices before they're seized as war booty. Nobles dispossessed and driven into exile. Schools forced to start teaching pro-Davion propaganda."

"And are you saying it isn't true?"

"Of course it was. House Hasek profited greatly over the Succession Wars from those practises, and in 3030 hundreds of worlds were open to those practises. In addition to ceding the former St Ives worlds Hanse gave me open access and an advisory position to prevent that from happening."

"That must have gone down well," Sun-Tzu smiled at the thought of the Hasek family's adherents choking on their own bile.

"If Justin hadn't already executed him, Michael Hasek might have been finished off by the idea. His son is another matter. As Duchess of Liao I was able to set an example and Melissa at least backed me to the hilt. It's somewhat Machiavellian, really. After Ridzik's rapaciousness a ruler who was neither a Davion nor trying to exploit them won Tikonov over, particularly when the trade deals with Skye were brokered."

"We're getting away from the point though – the agreement I made with Hanse Davion let me bring dozens of worlds back to Capellan rule but the price was that if Romano had to be removed I would support it and bring the Capellan Confederation into the Federated Commonwealth."

Sun-Tzu stilled. "A bold proposal."

"If the Clans had invaded then, they would have broken the Successor States with ease. Possibly, perhaps even probably, they would have failed to consolidate their rule but they explicitly want to erase our cultures in favour of their own. On the other hand, I would only have to pay out if Romano was sufficient threat that she had to be removed. Given ten more years, perhaps even just five, the AFFC would have been strong enough to support me in holding off any opportunism by Romano without compromising their ability to fight the Clans. Unfortunately, despite her insane policies that wasn't the case."

"But instead almost a dozen of our regiments have been sent to the far side of the Inner Sphere and replaced by Davion-owned mercenaries."

"It wasn't the ideal outcome, I admit." Candace folded her hands. "However, there is such a thing as winning the peace. There are already billions of people in the Federated Commonwealth who identify themselves as Capellans. Tormano employs many expatriates in companies across the Lyran Commonwealth and of course there are all the worlds that have changed hands over the years. No territorial concessions could bring them all under my rule."

"But if House Liao no longer leads an independent Capellan Confederation we can become the leaders of the Capellan people within the Federated Commonwealth and that would allow us to informally reclaim those worlds. We might not be politically reunited with Sarna or Tikonov – or Chesteron – but socially and economically those ties can be rebuilt."

"The difference between de jure and de facto authority."

"Precisely." She nodded. "And that requires the right treaty to manage how we join the Federated Commonwealth. The exact details haven't been decided yet and we need one that doesn't just look ten or twenty years in the future."

Sun-Tzu laughed. "Audacious, my Chancellor. You want to rebuild our people's pride and empire within the protection of the Federated Commonwealth."

"Twenty years from now, with our industries rebuilt, with complete access to the technology derived from the Clans, with scores of Capellan regiments inside the AFFC there may be other prospects. Fifty years from now, Capellans may even lead the entire Federated Commonwealth. The Republican brigade in Tikonov have not forgotten their roots as Capellans and that is merely the beginning."

"And if he wants a Liao to marry his heir?"

"Oh Sun-Tzu, why would I object to one of my grandchildren ruling over all the Federated Commonwealth? Hanse Davion is unlikely to outlive me and Melissa unlikely to obstruct family ties."

There was a chime from the door.

"Excuse me one moment, nephew." Candace tapped a control. "Who is it?"

"Ion Rush, ma'am."

"Send him in."

Ion Rush entered and let the door close behind him before he gave his report – ungarnished and to the point. "Chancellor, we've just had word from New Avalon. The Clans have launched a second wave of attacks."

"After only two weeks to consolidate? That's ambitious." Candace pulled up a display. "How bad is it?"

"No new attacks on us by Clan Wolf although there's no news from the Free Rasalhague Republic. However, the Jade Falcons have targeted seven worlds, roughly a line from Black Earth to Maxie's Planet."

"Maxie's Planet?" Candace's gaze flicked to Sun-Tzu for a second and then to the House Master of Imarra and the effective commander of her armed forces. "Any news from the Eleventh Lyran Guards?"

"ComStar's cut off communications, which usually means the world has fallen. There may be more news en route through other channels but as things stand, we don't know how they're doing."

Sun-Tzu was careful to show no reaction to the news. Kai Allard-Liao may not survive this war. I wonder if that is part of the Fox's plan – with one of Kai's sisters to marry Prince Victor, he will have a powerful influence over who succeeds to the throne of the 'Confederation March' after Candace dies.

.o0o.

 **Schwarzwald, Maxie's Planet**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **14 May 3050**

As Kai's battered little command reached the edge of the woods he was relieved to see 'Mechs ahead. Even better, they were marked with the blue and white of the Lyran Guards.

"Fury Nine, reporting in," he signalled with a short data burst to authenticate his identity.

"Fury Nine, this is Gambit Two." A Zeus that was missing both arms turned to cover the approach with the torso mounted lasers. "Good to see you, we were beginning to think we were the only ones to make it. How far are the rest of Second Battalion?"

Gambit Two would be Third Battalion's senior NCO. A cold trickle of fear ran down Kai's back. "So far as I'm aware we're all that's left of Fury Company. We've had no contact with Errant or Daring Company since the Clans caught up with us in the woods. Who's in command here?"

There was a stunned silence for a moment and then the Stabsfeldwebel replied: "By the book, that would be you, sir."

Stabsfeldwebel Kelvin Mackensen was a contemporary of Helen O'Connell-O'Bannon but he didn't have anything like her list of disciplinary infractions. A quiet word from Dave Jewell reminded Kai that the Stabsfeldwebel had declined a promotion because it would involve transfer away from his beloved Eleventh Lyran Guards to the reformed Fourth Royal Guards regiment.

The prospect that the Eleventh might have been reduced to the seven 'Mechs of Third Battalion he'd led out of the Schwarzwald and Kai's mismatched lance had him hollow-eyed on the screen.

Kai brought up a tactical map on the holographic display in front of him, adjusting the position so it would be visible to the camera relaying his image to the rest of what was now – God help them – his company.

"The best case scenario is that most of First Battalion and Second Battalion are still fighting in the Schwarzwald," he summarised. "However, our chances of linking up with them in time to do anything useful are slim. On the other hand, the Jade Falcon dropships are only a few kilometres away and they were the original objective."

"You're not thinking of hitting them? We'll be cut apart by their defences!"

"Given the force listings we're aware, it seems likely that most of their 'Mechs and Elementals are busy in the Schwarzwald. They've also identified themselves as the Ninety-Fourth Striker Cluster. If they're maintaining the old SLDF designations, which is fairly likely, they'll be made up of medium and light 'Mechs. That's not exactly optimal for a defensive fight, which is what we'll be forcing on them."

Kai tapped another designation on the map. "The Falcons are also operating their remaining aerospace fighters from their dropships. Take them out and we'll give the Guards back aerial dominance, which at a minimum should let our fighters re-establish contact with the rest of our 'Mechs."

Mackensen shook his head. "Respectfully, sir, there's a lot that could go wrong."

"An awful lot has gone wrong already. But we've no other instructions and this looks like the most productive course of action. Besides that, remember what the General's standing orders were."

The Stabsfeldwebel was silent.

"If in doubt, no officer can do very badly wrong if he closes with the enemy and seeks battle," Helen reminded them.

"I'm pretty sure she stole it from somewhere, but those are our orders and we have an enemy right there."

Grudgingly Mackensen brought up his own map. "That's true. And in the worst case, if the rest of the regiment is... unable to support us?"

Kai tried to hide his own doubts. "In that case we'll have control of a dropship and there's at least a chance we can get out to one of the jump-points. Our last information didn't indicate the Falcons were interdicting them and there's a regular trader from Rasalhague due in just three days. They'll need to recharge, which gives us time to reach the jump-point and arrange passage back to a friendly world."

"How do you plan to handle the defenders?" asked Dave. "Some of our 'Mechs are pretty badly shot up."

"A combination of psychology and rules lawyering." Kai had refreshed his memory on Clan customs in the few minutes he'd had to prepare this plan. "Whoever is on guard here is likely sore at not getting the glory of joining the fight and Clan Jade Falcon are reportedly very serious about their traditions of combat."

.o0o.

 **Jade Falcon Drop Zone, Maxie's Planet**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **14 May 3050**

Showtime. Kai walked Legendkiller over the hill and into view of the three dropships, making no effort to hide himself. There were four aerospace fighters grounded and being serviced by their support crews and in addition to the two 'Mechs lazily walking a perimeter, he could see three more lined up near the main hatch of the largest dropship.

"I am Kai Allard, Leutenant of the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth," he announced on general broadcast as well as his external speakers, wincing at the overblown script he'd worked out. "My gene-sire was acclaimed Champion MechWarrior of the Inner Sphere and I scored three kills in my graduation testing." Which wasn't the same as the ludicrous death-duels fought by Clan Warriors, but they didn't know that. "What warrior will dare to prevent me from closing my fist around the largest of your dropships and taking its crew into my service?"

There was a rush of activity and two Clanners rushed towards the parked 'Mechs, almost tearing off their jumpsuits in order to ready themselves for the heat of their conflicts.

Kai repeated his statement twice, walking slowly closer and carefully avoiding any contractions that might cause offense, before he received a reply.

"This is Star Commander Erod of Clan Jade Falcon. Do I understand that you are challenging for possession of our Dropship and its crew?"

"That is correct, Star Commander. I am bidding myself and my BattleMech alone."

This was the tricky moment. If Erod was pragmatic he could simply bid overwhelming forces and destroy Kai's 'Mech immediately. However, if Kai had made the prospect of facing him in combat sufficiently enticing it was almost certain that a subordinate would offer a lower counterbid and that actual combat would be on more or less even terms.

Erod paused. "Very well. I propose that battle will take place upon the open space between our Dropships and your current position."

Kai stopped Legendkiller. "This is acceptable. Do you require time to decide upon your forces?"

"Aff. We shall respond within fifteen minutes."

"Very well. My subordinates will position themselves opposite your own at this end of our Circle of Equals."

On cue, the other ten Lyran Guards 'Mechs moved up. It was a calculated gamble, showing that Kai didn't have to fight alone but had specifically chosen to do so. Hopefully it would underscore this as an honour duel and not a battle, despite the stakes.

Shortly before the deadline expired, Erod announced: "MechWarrior Diana has secured the right to defend our Dropship from you." A single 'Mech moved forwards to take position between Kai and the dropships. It was a Nova, he recognised and both its arms ended in the same laser arrangement which he'd seen the day before on the just one arm of the Stormcrow. Still, that many lasers would be a massive heat burden.

The other 'Mechs moved aside and Kai waited until they were a reasonable distance away before he strode Legendkiller forwards. The other 'Mech was lighter but faster and the armour should be roughly comparable to his own – except to the rear where a Rifleman was notoriously thinly armoured.

His father had once used that to lure an opponent into a trap but here the terrain was open and there was no scope to confuse his opponent between the front and rear of his 'Mech.

Instead he opened fire with autocannon and lasers at a range of about half a kilometre, suddenly pulling his 'Mech back to keep the range open as much as possible. If he recalled correctly, the advanced laser mounts had a maximum range of four hundred and fifty meters – about comparable to an 8cm laser.

Kai only fired one laser and it scored on the side of the torso below the cockpit canopy, but his autocannon both missed as the MechWarrior, Diana presumably, skipped her Nova forwards and to the side.

She moved into range and fired three lasers from each arm. Kai was already twisting to try to avoid the fire. One shot landed on his right leg, smashing away almost all of the protection below his knee while the second scored dead centre on the chest. I can take roughly another two hits there, he thought.

Continuing to move evasively he raised his other arm, firing the laser and autocannon there and then switching to use the other autocannon once Diana had tried to evade. The initial shots both hit her Nova's left arm but in the time he used to track the other arm around she'd feinted and then darted even closer. The armour on that arm was seriously damaged but Kai dropped Legendkiller to one knee and took her return fire against the radar systems mounted above his cockpit, steadying his aim to plant the large laser and autocannon squarely into the already damaged left arm.

Sparks flew in his cockpit as the anti-aircraft sensors were destroyed but they weren't immediately vital and he saw that the Nova's left arm was out of action. It could still bring all six lasers from the right arm to bear so it wouldn't immediately reduce its firepower but it was a good start.

However, Diana still used only three lasers in her next salvo. The shots all struck home on the chest, obliterating the ghost and crosshairs heraldry painted there. Legendkiller wavered as the gyro struggled to cope with the loss of more than a ton of armour as well as most the paint decorating the frontal torso. Kai fought the controls for a moment and then switched tactics, driving the heavy 'Mech's feet deeply into the ground as he charged forwards towards the Nova.

The Jade Falcon stood her ground, bracing to aim precisely. Inexplicably she still used only three lasers and two of them struck his right leg. Armour peeled away and the systems display flashed to red but nothing critical seemed to have been hit and now he was in range for the medium lasers in his chest. Combining them with both autocannon and one of his lasers was the most his double-heatsinks could manage before he dangerously over-heated but Kai fired everything, a wave of heat baking the cockpit.

Having halted, the Nova was a relatively easy target and armour smashed away from the right side of the chest as Diana jerked the arm with what were probably her only remaining weapons out of the way of the shots. Coolant poured out of the rents carved in the 'Mech's flank and the heat profile spiked – possible damage to her reactor shielding as well as heatsinks.

The heat wasn't just causing Kai to sweat, his displays were crackling as the temperature began to interfere with the efficiency of their electronics and the myomers of Legendkiller no longer contracted as readily, forcing him to slow down.

This drop in speed seemed to throw Diana's aim off and her shots struck the ground directly before his right foot. It seemed that disabling his right leg was her strategy. It would likely only be another hit away from leaving him crippled and unable to move.

To reduce his heat he only fired his own autocannon. Ammunition in the bins was running low but better to expend it now – if she switched target to centre mass she might hit the ammunition and that would be as deadly to Kai as it had been to Ober-Leutenant Marcone.

Only one shot hit, scraping away protection on her right arm but failing to penetrate.

And then Diana struck true, lasers blazing through what remained of Legendkiller's right leg.

"No!" Kai exclaimed as he felt the 'Mech begin to fall. Failure, letting down not just his family but also the men and women counting upon him.

He drove the right arm of Legendkiller down to try to arrest the fall but the weapon barrel crumpled under the weight and he couldn't avoid crashing down in a roll that left his rear armour exposed.

"LT!" shouted Jewell from behind him.

Diana was squaring off for another shot and it was evident she knew where to shoot.

The Rifleman lay on its right side. Kai brought the left arm around like a tank's turret and fired both weapons into the Nova just as the Jade Falcon fired.

For a moment it seemed that nothing had happened, and then the Nova's cockpit canopy exploded away and the Clan MechWarrior punched out ahead of her reactor giving up the ghost and ravening heat consuming the Mech.

Kai studied his damage control system in disbelief. The lasers had penetrated the rear of Legendkiller but somehow none of the vitals had been damaged. He remembered that the aged 'Mech had received the armour upgrades now in general use, SLDF equivalent ferrofibrous protection. "I'm okay, Dave."

He rocked the 'Mech and rolled it over, using the left foot and knee as a pivot to support Legendkiller with the muzzles of his left arm as a steadying point. He could barely fight like this but he could at least bring the medium lasers to bear.

"Star Commander Erod," he gasped. "What is the status of MechWarrior Diana?"

The clansman hesitated. "She is defeated, Leutenant Kai. Victory is yours. Do you wish to claim her as your bondsman?"

Kai's first reaction was revulsion. The Clan custom was practically slavery. But pragmatism won out. Taking her as a prisoner reduced the Jade Falcon's manpower slightly and would give his father's people someone to interrogate.

"Yes," he replied. "She fought well and will be valuable to the Federated Commonwealth."

.o0o.

 **Dropship Raptor's Wing, Maxie's Planet**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **14 May 3050**

Kai knotted a three stranded set of rope around the Clan MechWarrior's wrist while Helen held the young woman's other arm locked up behind her and Mackensen covered her with his sidearm. MechWarrior Diana was probably about Kai's age, with an athletic build and the calluses on her hands suggested extensive experience of unarmed combat. He wasn't entirely sure that if she did decide to fight back that Helen and Mackensen would be sufficient restraint but thus far she'd been compliant.

Then again, punching out of a 'Mech wasn't exactly a painless experience and there were already bruises forming under her cooling vest and along her bare legs.

There was a grinding noise as Dave Jewell's Wolverine and three other 'Mechs worked to carry (and drag) Legendkiller aboard the dropship.

Mackensen looked over and then snapped his head back to keep watching Diana. "Don't worry, sir. There's plenty of tooling aboard, as well as room for all our 'Mechs. We should be able to secure your 'Mech and maybe even repair some of the damage."

Kai shrugged. That wasn't really his first concern right now. "Does it have a brig?"

"Lockable compartments. I don't guess they go for more than summary corporal punishment in the Clans."

"Okay. Lock her up until we have time to deal with her." He paused. "Actually, wait one moment. Me- Bondswoman?"

Diana hadn't stopped looking at Kai but she jerked her chin slightly.

"Why were you only firing half your lasers in each arm during our duel?" The additional firepower would almost certainly have torn Legendkiller apart.

She frowned. "I bid away the use of my jump jets and all but six lasers to win the right to participate."

Kai blinked. That was… "The bidding was fierce?"

"The Star Commander underestimated you," Diana admitted. "Cut-down was judged to be well below the tonnage of my Nova. We believed you were like the other warriors on this world."

"I'm nothing special," he protested. "Most of my family – my sibko? – are better than I am."

Mackensen chuckled. "Yes, but sir, your father was Champion on Solaris and your mother was supposed to be quite good too. It's no surprise you'd all be top-notch."

"Uh, if you say so, Stabsfeldwebel. Go lock her up, I'll check the command deck."

"Right away, sir." The NCO gestured slightly with his sidearm. "Come on, you."

The dropship – apparently the Clans called this an Overlord although it was larger and lacked any aerospace bays – was as tall as a skyscraper and the Clans also apparently didn't believe in lifts so Kai had to scale a dozen narrow flights of stairs to reach the command deck.

Despite still wearing Jade Falcon uniforms, the crew all saluted as he entered the deck. He checked the rank badges and saw that the older man at what he took to be the commander's station was a Star Captain.

"Leutenant Kai," the man said sourly. "We are yours to command."

I've just dragged these people away from their Clan, not to mention families and friends, he realised. "Thank you, Star Captain. Please have the ship made ready for take-off. It's probably we'll be doing so once the 'Mechs are secured."

"Yes sir."

"Are there any supply requirements or preparations I should be aware of?"

"The Raptor's Wing is fully ready for any orders you may give."

Kai hoped so, because if the crew decided to become uncooperative there wasn't a great deal he could do about it. "In that case, I'll also need to make use of your communications array."

The Star Captain snapped his fingers. "Technician Sharon, assist Leutenant Kai."

A slight woman in a neatly pressed uniform stood and gestured for Kai to take her seat. "Who do you want to contact, sir?"

He studied the controls which seemed to be around what he expected and adjusted the frequencies. The Jade Falcons had taken out the primary communication relay satellites, limiting him to the range of his 'Mech's on-board equipment, but the more powerful transceiver here should be more than sufficient to reach Frankfurt.

"HQ, this is Fury Nine. I repeat, HQ, this is Fury-Nine. I am unencrypted, do you read me."

After a long pause, there was a reply overlaid with the squeak of tracks. "Fury Nine, this is HQ. We copy."

"HQ, I need to speak to Leutenant-General Li or whoever's in command."

There was a muffled "General" and then a new voice took over. "What are you doing on an open channel, Fury Nine? Is that what they teach you at Albion?"

"I'm a NAMA graduate, sir. I'm not sure I have time to get the codes from my 'Mech and load them onto this transceiver."

"I was just checking, Allard." The general's voice remained grim. "You realise I can't accept at face value that you aren't under duress."

"Understood, sir. We've crossed the Schwarzwald and acquired one of the Jade Falcon dropships."

Li's voice almost broke. "You've done what?"

"We captured a dropship, sir. What are your orders?"

"Blake's beard. You really are a chip off the old block. Okay, Leutenant. Your orders are pretty simple. Bug out. I've only got two regiments of infantry and less than a company of 'Mechs that fought their way out of the Schwarzwald. Our armoured brigade is a complete loss and General Bryan is dead or captured. This fight is over but if you get off-world and back to the Federated Commonwealth you'll have more than done your duty."

"Sir, we could try a sub-orbital hop and pick you up."

"Negative, Leutenant. They have the drop port. We've disabled our dropships and blown most of the stores, but if you try to land they'll be all over you. Besides, I doubt there's room on your dropship for all of our personnel."

Physically, yes, but the life support on the ship certain wouldn't be up to more than five hundred infantry plus all the support personnel. "Understood, sir."

"General Bryan did manage to bloody them up a bit so it wasn't entirely lopsided - it just wasn't enough. We're going to ground – might be able to make life difficult for whatever garrison they post. Get back home and tell the Archon we'll hold until relieved. Out"

It was wishful thinking, both of them knew that, but what were the alternatives? Kai cut the channel and switched the frequencies randomly, just in case Technician Sharon had it in mind to inform anyone of which frequency the Eleventh Lyran Guards were using.

"Leutenant Kai, your Feldwebel Dave wishes to speak to you." The technician passed him the handset to what was probably the ship's internal intercom.

Kai put it to his hear. "Dave?"

"We're all aboard, LT, and the crew are closing the doors. We should have the 'Mechs secured in five minutes. Where next?"

He sighed. "Home, Dave. We're going home. General's orders. Finish securing the 'Mechs and then get up here. Mackensen is in charge down on the 'Mech decks for now."

Putting down the handset, he looked over at Sharon. "I have some questions."

"What do you want to know, sir?"

"Firstly, what's the Star Captain's name?"

Sharon relaxed. "His name is Raymond."

"Okay, how is it that Star Commander Erod replied to my challenge when the Star Captain was senior?"

"Star Commander Erod is in a combatant position, sir. The Star Captain could challenge him for usurping his authority but then he'd have to take your challenge himself and in augmented combat, it would be easy to bid beneath a dropship, even if he offered to refrain from using all the weapons."

"Right… and I suppose now the Star Commander will have to explain to his commander why he's short a dropship."

Sharon shivered. "Colonel Redmond will be furious. The loss of this ship will delay moving her Cluster forward to the next targeted world."

Kai gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile. "Well… welcome to the Eleventh Lyran Guards."

The technician's body language closed up. "Uh, I should take my position for launch, sir."

"Right." He unstrapped himself and looked around – right, folding seats at the back. Dave Jewell had arrived and was already strapping into one of them. "All yours, Technician."

.o0o.

 **ComStar Internal Document**

 **Personal Communication – Precentor Martial A. Focht to Primus M. Waterly**

 **Classified – Eyes Only – Primus**

Blake's Blessing upon you Primus.

I offer my sincerest apologies that I have had only limited opportunity to communicate with Our Blessed Order since making contact with elements of Clan Wolf over Verthandi towards the end of March this year. As may have been anticipated, the warriors of Clan Wolf were unprepared for diplomatic overtures and it was sometime before reports of my presence reached their leader, Khan Ulric Kerensky, who has been my host for much of the last two months. You may be gratified to learn that our Order's status as custodian of Terra and of the Star League facilities upon the home world carries considerable weight and even before the Khan's intervention, my status as your representative led to my being treated with a respect not previously shown to our order.

I have confirmed that both the missing Explorer Corps jumpships have indeed been taken into custody by the Clans. As the ships themselves have been commandeered to support the logistics of their invasion I haven't been able to arrange their release, but the crews have been liberated and I am assured that by the time you receive this message, they will be safe and sound at the HPG station on Alleghe. I am investigating the possibility that a third Explorer Corps vessel may be in the hands of one of the other Clans – as yet I have only rumours and I regret that not being familiar with past losses, I am unsure if this is the case. If so, it may shed light upon the location of the Clans' home worlds.

I have been able to verify that most of the data obtained from the AFFC about the Clans is largely accurate and discrepancies appear to be more a matter of gaps or out of date information rather than outright inaccuracies. There were indeed originally twenty clans, a number now reduced to seventeen. For reasons involving their warrior code, only four of the Clans are currently participating in the invasion although a fifth Clan currently has substantial forces en route to act as a strategic reserve. The fact that this force isn't expected for several months suggests that resistance by the Inner Sphere has been heavier than expected.

The four Clans currently in the Inner Sphere are Clan Ghost Bear, Clan Jade Falcon, Clan Smoke Jaguar and the aforementioned Clan Wolf. They are indeed the descendants of the SLDF and the history of the Star League and the SLDF is one that they hold in almost superstitious awe. Although the Clans accept the authority of an overall warlord, the ilKhan (currently a post held by one Leo Showers, of Clan Smoke Jaguar), they are to all purposes self-governing and intensely competitive between themselves. Regrettably, I have learned that Clan Smoke Jaguar are relatively dismissive of all Inner Sphere institutions and I have not been able to secure an audience with the ilKhan to pursue my primary mission objective.

I have therefore taken the course of negotiating with each Clan individually, starting with Clan Wolf. As my progress is closely tied to the specific customs and policies of each Clan, I will detail our position with regard to each Clan along with my general impression of the Clan.

Clan Wolf have been largely positively inclined towards my overtures. While the Clan includes a significant militant or 'Crusader' faction, there is also a strong counterweight grouping known as Wardens who believe their proper role is to act as protectors to the Inner Sphere. It has become quite apparent that the Clans have their own HPG network, however they haven't yet extended this to their holdings in the Inner Sphere and have been relying on HPGs fitted to their jumpships to coordinate their forces. With one of the more extensive occupation zones so far, Clan Wolf's moderates and Wardens were swayed by the logic of supplementing this with our HPGs since they are already functional and manned.

Overall, Clan Wolf appear to have the strongest foothold in the Inner Sphere, with their efforts concentrated within the Free Rasalhague Republic (although they aren't above seizing Federated Commonwealth worlds along the border if opportunities arise). They've brought large shipments of supplies and I estimate that at least a quarter of their invasion force is made up of garrison units. Because of this, they were less convinced by my arguments that our neutrality might be misinterpreted and that we would need to retain security. I've narrowly secured an agreement to maintain the status quo but behind closed doors I've been advised that they would react positively to a drawdown in the presence of BattleMechs and Aerospace Fighters in our garrisons.

The Clan with which I've had greatest success has been Clan Ghost Bear, whose new holdings straddle the old Rasalhague-Combine border. As a whole the Clan are considered conservative by their peers but they are on the best terms with my hosts out of the other invading Clans, so I've found them relatively accessible. It probably helped that I had had some weeks of adapting to Clan social niceties (they are most averse to the use of verbal contractions, for example) so I was able to make a slightly better first impression.

Unlike Clan Wolf, Clan Ghost Bear appear to have only assigned limited supplies and support units to their invasion forces, which has caused them persistent difficulties (something likely to continue for the foreseeable future). As such, they were relatively eager to explore alternatives and the proposal that ComStar might act as an intermediary for communication between their garrisons and the local governments to ease misunderstandings was quite well received. I feel that this may stretch the boundaries of neutrality and final arrangements are pending your decision on the matter, however with this in place the Ghost Bears are largely content to allow us to continue to operate as we have been.

Clan Smoke Jaguar have had to be approached carefully since their alienation would doubtless lead to a negative reaction by the ilKhan that could impact on relations with the other Clans. As persistent rivals to Clan Wolf, as well as the most distant at this time (carving their new territory out of the Draconis Combine) it's been difficult to make an approach. I regret to report this is the one Clan who have engaged in battle against the ComGuards since they assaulted and captured several HPGs on their early conquests.

With their leader, Khan Lincoln Osis, largely involved in military affairs, I've been interacting with his deputy or 'saKhan' Sarah Weaver. I've been able to secure a temporary agreement with her that will preserve our stations and their garrisons pending review by their entire Clan Council. Recent events, which I'll discuss below, may lead to saKhan Weaver's replacement. It's possible her successor will be more amenable.

At the far end of the invasion zone from the Smoke Jaguars, the Jade Falcons are also somewhat predisposed to dislike me since they have an especial rivalry with Clan Wolf. However, as strict traditionalists, they've been amenable to our Order's roots in the Star League Ministry of Communications and of regarding technical and commercial matters as somewhat beneath the regard of warriors. Armed with several historical documents referring to the Blessed Blake's place among Aleksandr Kerensky's advisors and to the ComGuards origins as SLDF divisions charged with remaining behind to protect Terra, I've been able to establish communication with their Khan, Elias Crichell.

For the moment, Khan Crichell has agreed to allow us to continue operations so long as we don't pass communications outside the Jade Falcon's occupation zone, even to other Clans. They've also agreed provisionally to leave the ComGuards in place to protect our HPGs although he seemed interested in potentially replacing them with Jade Falcon personnel at some unspecified time in the future. I regret to advise we may only have a temporary presence on worlds the Jade Falcons control. Interestingly, the Jade Falcons have taken to using the HPGs not only for military purposes but also commercially. It seems that their caste of merchants are every bit as aggressive, one might even say predatory, as their warriors.

Moving on to more current events, I was aboard the flagship of Clan Wolf (originally the SLS Kharkov, now renamed Dire Wolf, it seems very similar to the CSS Blake's Vengeance which is of the same class. This suggests that the Clans naval technology may not be as advanced as that of the other combat arms) when we received news of the Turtle Bay bombardment.

Khan Kerensky appeared quite disgusted, in part with the Smoke Jaguar's failure to realise that they had apprehended such a valuable prisoner in their hands and secondly that they so completely lost control over the city of Edo in the aftermath of Sho-sa Kurita's rescue from imprisonment. In case news of this matter has not yet reached ROM (I am sure the Combine will make much of it for morale purposes), I will summarise the facts as I am aware of them.

When the Fourteenth Legion of Vega were defeated on Turtle Bay, Hohiro Kurita, the son of the Gunji no Kanrei, was among the DCMS personnel captured. Rather than being segregated as a prisoner of importance, Kurita was confined in a local prison in the city of Edo. Surviving elements of the Legion obtained the assistance of a local Yakuza group and organised a rescue, with many of the other prisoners giving their lives to cover for Kurita's escape. It's believed that Kurita reached a hidden dropship and escaped the system aboard a smuggler's jumpship.

Subsequent to this the yakuza sponsored a widespread insurrection within the city, very probably with the assistance of Legion personnel who remained behind for this purpose. As a result of heavy-handed Smoke Jaguar occupation tactics (even by Draconian standards), local support was forthcoming and Clan Smoke Jaguar were entirely driven from the city of Edo. In response to this, the local commander (a protégé of Sarah Weaver, who I have earlier mentioned) ordered the orbital bombardment of Edo.

I must stress that this is considered an act of exceptional brutality even by the Clans. For the most part their warships have been used as mobile supply bases and command centres rather than as fighting vessels, since no Inner Sphere warships exist to challenge them. The use of warships for bombardment is largely outside of the Clans experience and, perhaps more as a political attack than out of any moral principle, Khan Kerensky has seized upon it as an example of ineptitude and wastefulness. To the Clans these are extremely strong terms to use and it is for this reason that I suspect the Smoke Jaguars will elect to dismiss saKhan Weaver, along with other officers more closely involved.

The invasion of the world of Rasalhague appears to have been all but stage-managed to highlight the differences between Clan Wolf and Clan Smoke Jaguar. To begin with, it seemed in doubt that Khan Kerensky would even oversee the invasion – as the capital of the Free Rasalhague Republic, the world is a considerable prize and Clan Ghost Bears leaders were eager to claim it for themselves. Clan traditions vested the right to seize the world to whoever was willing to attempt it with the least use of force and in bidding for the right, Khan Kerensky immediately dismissed any use of a warship and finally secured the right to invade by proposing to utilise a force I'm advised is only sixty percent of what his advisors recommended.

Despite what appeared to be extreme recklessness, Kerensky's attack was swift and decisive. Quite a number of survivors from other units already defeated by Clan Wolf and Clan Ghost Bear had been formed into a composite regiment, however far from being hardened by the experience they shattered under initial pressure. In addition, the Second Drakons regiment had been dispersed to reduce the spread of a local tropical disease and Khan Kerensky's attack arrived too swiftly for them to regroup. With two thirds of the defenders eliminated, Clan Wolf's forces were able to easily secure all but the capital city of Reyhavik. Khan Kerensky offered generous terms of surrender before ordering the attack, which were declined by Elected Prince Magnusson. Rather than a more conventional assault, the Wolves sent almost all of their battle armour into the city in a night attack with two goals: neutralizing the Kungsarme command centre and their principal aerospace base.

With their military leadership dead or scattered and no air support, the First Drakons were cut apart in detail by the Wolves, although damage to the city was unavoidably significant. Clan Wolf also secured Prince Haakon Magnusson (who is apparently in secure confinement) and his son Ragnar, who apparently faces indoctrination to become Clan Wolf's figurehead ruler. This isn't expected to lead to a general collapse of Rasalhague military resistance, but it's clear that their morale will suffer considerably until or unless a strong leader emerges to replace Magnusson.

.o0o.

 **Prefecture Command Centre, Albiero**

 **Pesht District, Draconis Combine**

 **29 July 3050**

Sho-sa Hohiro Kurita bowed deeply before his father. Theodore Kurita allowed himself a proud smile before returning the bow. "I realise you have been on campaign, my son, but you really must present yourself properly uniformed to your superiors."

The younger Kurita blinked in confusion. His uniform was immaculate. "My apologies, sir."

"Here." Theodore reached out and replaced the rank pins with those of a Tai-sa, giving the old pins to his son. "Now if you'll help your aide pin these to his own uniform – you see what setting a bad example leads to? – then everything will be in order."

Hohiro saw the almost hidden grins on the faces of his father's staff and turned to Tai-i Shin Yodama. "Please permit me, Sho-sa," he said, removing the other officer's existing rank pins. "What rank did he put on me?" he asked under his breath, unable to see the rank pinned to his own collar.

"Thank you, Tai-sa, you are too kind." Yodama's voice was as perfectly respectful as any courtier's, although his background was among the yakuza of the Combine rather than one of the ancient samurai families. Or at least, that was his immediate ancestry. The Combine was over seven centuries old, after all, and more than a few dispossessed samurai had found places in the even older tradition of the yakuza, a shadowy society that crossed the lines between organised crime, interstellar business and fraternal society. House Kurita had always found them a useful outlet for the otherwise tightly regimented culture they imposed on their realm – but only Theodore Kurita had managed to harness them beyond this.

Before the two-rank promotion could fully sink in, Theodore ushered his son to the table among the other regimental commanders. "We all know how my son has wounded the pride of the Smoke Jaguars," he reminded them. "And also of the crimes that they have committed against our people. Honour demands that we punish them for their arrogance."

Narimasa Asano, the tai-sa of the famous First Genyosha regiment nodded in understanding. "Having been humiliated by Tai-sa Kurita already, the Smoke Jaguars will seek to redeem themselves by making extraordinary efforts once they learn he is on planet."

"Indeed. It seems almost inevitable that they will throw everything they possibly can at the Twenty-Fourth Yurei Regiment, once they have learned that you are in command of them, my son." Theodore's face creased into a cruel smile. "You have confirmed the information we received from Hanse Davion: the Clans issue challenges before battle and routinely share the history of their units with the enemy. The Genyosha's entire history spans less than a quarter of a century and having been disbanded by my father it could even be said that it begins with their reformation in the last few years. Similarly, not one of the three Yurei regiments present has had the opportunity to see battle in their history."

Yodama's eyes widened as he looked at a room full of hard-bitten officers, most of them seasoned in the vicious but hidden warfare of the Yakuza families. "The Clans will land, expecting that they are facing four regiments with effectively no combat experience…"

"Quite so, Sho-sa." The Kanrei gestured to the map table. "So now we must find a suitable battlefield upon Albiero where we can make them pay the price for not only their arrogance but also their unfortunate ignorance."

Hohiro stalked around the maps. "Their primary advantage in combat is in matters of range and heat dissipation," he reported. "They caught my previous command by marching through a burning oil refinery that would have shut our 'Mechs down. Fighting in a firestorm doesn't particularly appeal to me, but somewhere in the tropics where their cooling systems will be strained would be one possible avenue, particularly somewhere they won't be able to take advantage of their long-ranged weapons."

"They also seem to have quite a number of 'Mechs that are quite fast but relatively few with jump jets," suggested Yodama. "Obscuring terrain would be good but obstructive would be better."

"Swampland might be what you're looking for." Asano stroked his chin. "But wouldn't that benefit their armoured infantry? If I understand your report one of them wasn't stopped until you fired at him with a large laser. I'd rather engage such units at long range if I can."

"I've been thinking about that," agreed Hohiro. "Artillery might be preferable – it wouldn't need to score a direct hit and even if it doesn't kill them outright, it would damage their armour and leave them much more vulnerable to secondary weapons."

"Hmm. Close and accurate artillery. I think we can work with that?" The Genyosha commander shot a questioning look at Theodore Kurita.

The Gunji no Kanrei nodded in agreement. "We have a new technology of our own that the Genyosha have been testing for me. That's one reason I arranged to transfer the First Genyosha here as part of our trap."

"What we've been using is a set of dedicated transmitters and specialised computers to coordinate targeting data for a lance, or even an entire company. Properly set up, it allows a 'Mech to use triangulation of a target's location from multiple angles – which we've found can be up to a thirty percent increase in long-range accuracy. We can even engage targets that we can't see directly due to obscuring cover, so long as other networked units do have a line of sight."

"Your pardon, Tai-sa." Shin didn't take his eyes off the map. "Does that still work if the 'Mechs providing the spotting data are underwater?"

"Absolutely."

The newly promoted Sho-sa tapped the map. "If I'm reading this correctly, the river delta here is nine-tenths swamp. Perfect for high speed hover tanks – which the Smoke Jaguars don't seem to use. Does anyone know what the vegetation is like? Or how deep the water gets?"

.o0o.

 **Dropship Raptor's Wing, Deep Space**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **6 August 3050**

Kai knew as soon as he entered the dropship's rec-room that he'd made a mistake.

"It's over, Philip," his father's voice declared.

In the holodisplay, two Rifleman BattleMechs confronted each other across a gorge, each stood on a broad ledge with the walls of the labyrinthine caverns at their backs.

"Is it, Xiang?" The other MechWarrior laughed triumphantly. "Here's your surprise, Capellan. How do you like these tactics?"

Out of the shadows two more 'Mechs walked out onto the ledge, a Firestarter and an UrbanMech, blocking in the Rifleman that bore the same ghost and crosshairs Kai had been busy restoring to the chest of the 'Mech in the recording.

He froze, unable to avoid watching his father caught in an ambush by his opponent.

Philip Capet had expected Justin to give up. But Kai's father's response was scornful and defiant. "You're still no tactician, Capet!" And then he unhesitatingly strode forwards off the edge of the ledge, dropping it into the abyss below, vanishing into the darkness made deeper by the cloud of dust kicked up as the heavy 'Mech skidded down the slope.

"That coward!" The shrill cry of protest came from one of the audience and broke Kai from his near trance at the door.

"Dave."

Seated near the front, Dave Jewell jerked upright and then reached out, pausing the recording. "LT?"

Kai cleared his throat. "I'm heading over to the Katana, to soothe Captain Frestadt's feathers again. It seems our neighbours are making a fuss again about their schedule being disrupted."

"Do you want some company?" offered Dave.

"I'll be fine. Mackensen's in charge until I get back."

Dave nodded and then looked towards the source of the earlier accusation of cowardice. "Maybe you should take your bondswoman with you. Show her a little more of the Inner Sphere."

"I'm not sure showing her a jumpship is going to greatly broaden her horizons, Dave."

"Let me put that another way, sir. Take her with you. Frestadt's a bit of a limp noodle and I don't like the look of Sakamoto and his crew. He claims to be a Rasalhague merchant, but he screams Combine to me and they've never been afraid to get tough if it bolsters their profit margin. If he cuts up rough, you could do with some back-up." Dave gave Diana a pointed look. "She's gotta know that if she lets Sakamoto bag you then she's got less chance of getting back in a 'Mech's cockpit than she does of flying to Terra by flapping her arms, you get what I'm saying."

"Aff." Diana rose. "I understand, Feldwebel David. Thank you for showing me this battle recording."

Kai led the way to the docking port that connected the Raptor's Wing to the jumpship Katana. It had just been his luck that the first jumpship to arrive over Maxie's Planet had been a Rasalhague-flagged ship en route back to the border. In theory the AFFC could conscript any jumpship inside its borders, but doing so to foreign-shipping was replete with possibilities for an international incident.

Diana broke the uncomfortable silence. "I saw that your genesire painted the same emblem on the chest of your Rifleman when he piloted it. Feldwebel Dave did not explain its significance."

Given the choice between embarrassed silence and an uncomfortable story, Kai hesitated. I took her prisoner. She's my responsibility, I guess.

"The 'Mech first belonged to Gray Noton. The ghost and crosshairs were his logo from when he used it in the Solaris duelling circuit. In his day he was the Champion and even in retirement he retained a personal alcove in Thor's Shieldhall… a dining room reserved for only the most prominent MechWarriors," he clarified.

"When my father… went to Solaris, he became Noton's protégé. Solaris is an open world, because of the duellists there are powerful interests from all the Great Houses there. Politics, espionage. It used to be said that if you wanted to hire a regiment for honest work you went to Galatea, but if you wanted to hire someone for covert action then Solaris was where to spend your C-bills."

"Why would your genesire want to go to such a place? He was a great MechWarrior. Surely his Khan, his… Prince, must have valued him highly."

Kai almost snorted. Diana was a highly trained, viciously effective MechWarrior and no doubt almost as deadly as a hand-to-hand combatant. She was also very naïve. "He did. That's why he gave him such a dangerous and important assignment. My father's mission was to ensure that he was hired by House Davion's enemies so that he could sabotage their strategies from within."

"Gray Noton was a man for hire, and his most recent employers were from House Liao. In the arenas father had challenged and defeated the most prominent of the Federated Suns MechWarriors, cultivating a personal feud with their leader – you heard him back in the battle recording: Philip Capet. Out of the arena, he shared his knowledge of the Federated Suns so that Noton could become a more useful agent to House Liao."

"And then Noton was murdered. Philip Capet tried to claim Noton's alcove in Thor's Shieldhall, taking down the shield bearing Noton's heraldry. Father stopped him and challenged him to fight for the right to the alcove. Hanse Davion had promised command of a regiment to whoever could kill my father in the arena so Capet jumped at the chance. And…" He caught himself before he finished the story. That Noton had been murdered, not by Capet's coterie but by Justin Xiang-Allard, the man who ostensibly avenged him. "My father had won all his duels in a medium-weight 'Mech but the terms of the challenge were heavy 'Mechs so he used Noton's own Rifleman: Legendkiller."

"But that is dishonourable!" Diana protested. "Why would any warrior act so disgracefully? Your warriors told me that your genesire was a great hero!"

"Ultimately, he did it because Hanse Davion and his own father – my grandfather Quintus was one of the First Prince's advisors – asked him to. He put everything he had into serving House Davion. He broke friendships, he destroyed his own reputation and because of that, when the Fourth Succession War came, it was a resounding success. Half the Capellan Confederation was conquered in only two years." Kai shrugged helplessly. "I've never really asked him about it in those terms."

"And are you like your father?"

Kai gripped the side of the hatch. "If I ever find out," he said, a little thickly, "Maybe I'll tell you."

Aboard the Katana, Kai found Frestadt was already in the company of Sakamoto, who'd brought two of his own crew along. Although the merchant was dressed neatly, the suit was cut to allow freedom of movement and the other dropship crewmen were openly carrying sidearms.

"Is there a problem, captain?"

"Sakamoto-san has suggested a change of destination, Leutenant. It seems feasible to me."

Kai glanced over at the purported merchant. "I appreciate we're impacting on your schedule, Sakamoto-san, but I'd hoped we were past this argument. One more jump will take us to the Baker 3 system, where we'll be parting ways. And as I've promised, I'll arrange compensation for you and Captain Frestadt."

Sakamoto's eyes glittered. "Please understand that no monetary compensation can replace the loss to my reputation if I deliver my goods too late. What I am suggesting is a mere compromise. Rather than jumping to Baker 3, the Katana can instead reach Vantaa. From there, you can surely obtain military transport to your destination, while it would cut the impact on my schedule in half."

"Yes, you were heading for Harvest, weren't you?" Kai frowned. "Loaded with agricultural machinery? I don't think your buyers are going to be too concerned. In case you've missed it, the Free Rasalhague Republic is also being invaded and Harvest has almost certainly fallen by now."

"Even so, the invaders will want to eat, surely."

"I'm sure they will. I suppose that that would be your own risk to run, however I'm afraid Vantaa is out of the question. Even if it isn't under attack already, it will be soon and the garrison units don't have much chance of stopping the Clans when they arrive."

"Then what is different about Baker 3?"

"I'm sorry, but if you're really going to head for somewhere the Clans might get hold of you, I can't disclose military information to you."

"I am sorry too, Leutenant." Sakamoto produced a small laser pistol from his jacket pocket while his dropship crewmen also drew their weapons. "You seem like a decent enough young officer but I really don't want to delay any further. Now if you wouldn't mind coming back to my dropship with me, we'll see how cooperative your second-in-command will be. I'm sure they wouldn't want anything to happen to the heir of the St Ives Compact."

"You're making a mistake, Sakamoto."

"Perhaps. Unfortunately, I suspect that going to Baker 3 with you would be an even greater one. Ensure that the Leutenant and his pet Clanner are restrained," he added. "We don't want them wandering off and getting hurt."

"Captain Frestadt -"

"I'm not getting involved in a dispute between passengers," the man said drily. "And before you try to appeal to my patriotism..."

"Actually," Kai grabbed hold of the man approaching him and, one foot thrust through a rung to brace himself, flung him against a console, twisting the sidearm away from him. "I was about to suggest you duck." Sakamoto's crewman crashed into Frestadt's console, knocking the wind out of him.

At the same time, Diana had somehow twisted herself around the other crewman, the wrist of the hand holding the gun held in both her own hands while she'd wrapped her legs around his shoulders and neck. One sharp twist that made Kai wince and she was free and holding the gun.

Sakamoto fired his laser, the bolt coming within a centimetre of Kai's ear. "That was foolish of you," he informed them. "Do drop the weapons or I'll put the next one between the Leutenant's eyes."

Kai sighed. The laser's emitter was lined up very neatly to do exactly that. "You aren't really carrying farm tools, are you?"

The merchant's lips curled. "As expected of Justin Allard's son. No, I am not. Now, the guns."

Diana ejected the clip from the gun she held. "I am not throwing you a loaded gun," she pointed out. "It might go off by accident."

"Very prudent. Now, Leutenant -"

Diana fired the gun, the bullet catching Sakamoto's laser pistol and smashing it, as well as the finger on the trigger.

"Kuso!" he exclaimed but now Kai's weapon was pointed between his eyes.

"That was… a little reckless, Diana."

"I do not think Feldwebel David would approve of your being taken hostage," she replied. "Fortunately, this merchant did not consider that a ballistic weapon does not require a clip if a round is already chambered."

"And if you'd missed the gun?"

She considered for a moment, replacing the clip in the pistol and working the action to chamber another round. "I did not."

"Right." Kai frisked Sakamoto briefly. "Why don't we take a little walk back to our dropship, Sakamoto-san, where you can get that hand treated and we can discuss your actual cargo." He looked over at Diana. "I think I should be able to find something to cut one of those cords around your wrist, too."

Diana beamed.


	5. Book 1, Chapter 4

Chapter Four

 **Kyushu River Delta, Albiero**

 **Pesht District, Draconis Combine**

 **19 August 3050**

"Konnichi wa!" Hohiro Kurita greeted the incoming Clan dropships in a tone that was almost cheeky. "Hohiro Kurita greets you, Smoke Jaguars. It has been several months since your forces were unable to restrain me upon Turtle Bay. I shall hope for better sport in our next confrontation."

One of the technicians in the command van turned his head. "Tai-sa, we're getting a transmission from them."

"Put it on the speakers, replay from the beginning."

A harsh voice cut through the van's atmosphere. "I am Dieter Osis, commander of the Smoke Jaguar's Beta Galaxy. It will please me greatly for the Mistweavers to make good the shame of Alpha Galaxy's failure. Where do you hide yourself and with what forces will you seek to withstand our hunt?"

Hohiro nodded. "Shin?"

The yakuza MechWarrior looked up from the other bank of displays. "Their warship remains in high orbit. If records are true, it can't effectively fire on the surface unless it descends."

"Hold back the fighters, then." Hohiro took up the microphone. "I am sure that you know Albiero is a valuable world to us, Galaxy Commander. However, its industries and principal cities are upon the more southerly continent so I have deployed my forces near the mouth of the Kyushu River on the equatorial continent, where we can fight without causing wasteful losses. Alas, most of my aerospace assets have been reassigned so I will offer your forces safcon to the surface."

"Our bid to defend Albiero is four BattleMech regiments along with supporting armor battalions and some of the infantry. I understand it is your custom to share military rosters before battle so I have a data packet prepared for you. Three of our infantry regiments remain in the southern cities to maintain order and I propose that should you be victorious, they will withdraw without further contest."

Hohiro paused. "My own question to you, Galaxy Commander, is what you offer me as collateral? I am prepared to offer battle with the most powerful force that any of your Clan have thus far faced in your invasion. Whoever wins, this will be a glorious encounter – but you stand to gain one of the key worlds in this region whereas I have no equivalent prize."

There was a derisive laugh as Dieter Osis took in the temerity of the challenge. "You expect to triumph? I see from your transmission that three of your regiments have never seen action and that the last were disbanded years ago and only recently returned to your roster."

"My warriors are young and ambitious, as yours must be. Yet I must answer to older and sager commanders as well, Galaxy Commander. If I have my forces scatter then it could be weeks or months before you can secure Albiero. What is it worth to you that we settle this swiftly in decisive battle?"

"You bargain well – perhaps you know something of us after all. You have my pledge then that should you somehow defeat my forces, Clan Smoke Jaguar will never again seek to take Albiero from the Draconis Combine. The world will stand as eternal monument to your victory, in the unlikely event that you obtain it."

"A generous offer, Galaxy Commander, but I know that there are several other Clans in your invasion force and we are not so far from the Ghost Bears that they might decide to take advantage if you stumble. I propose something more concrete: if by any chance my Yurei regiments and the Genyosha triumph over your forces then you will surrender your warship. I see that it is a sister ship to the vessel which burned the city of Edo from orbit. My superiors will surely understand that I desire a means to strike back at such a dishonourable vessel."

Osis grunted. "You ask much. Very well, but I shall add my own condition. Upon your defeat I demand that you must surrender yourself and also the infantry regiments still stationed on your southern continent. I will not have you slip away like a troublesome surat a second time, quineg?"

Hohiro felt Shin's hand upon his shoulder and saw the Sho-sa shaking his head. "If I survive such a defeat, Galaxy Commander, then I will meet those terms. If I do not, the commanders of the regiments will have my orders to abide by this bargain."

"Bargained well and done, then."

Hohiro cut the microphone.

"Respectfully, Tai-sa, are you mad? Your father would not approve of making yourself the stakes in this battle. If the Smoke Jaguars have you, it will devastate the morale of our people."

"Well the matter is simple. We must simply be victorious."

Shin's voice dropped to a hiss. "You cannot simply decree victory and make it so, your highness!"

"You are correct. I can, however, order a friend to ensure the Smoke Jaguars do not take me alive. If we are defeated here, Shin, ensure that I can be reported as a martyr."

.o0o.

 **Kyushu River Delta, Albiero**

 **Pesht District, Draconis Combine**

 **20 August 3050**

The skies above the river were lit by the drives of more than a dozen dropships as the Smoke Jaguars made their descent.

"He's throwing in everything he has," reported Shin as he watched them through binoculars. His 'Mech, along with scores of others, was submerged to the neck and had been powered down. Between the heavy cloud cover and the thick foliage of the jungle the river ran through, it would be practically impossible to detect them without stumbling directly into them.

"How many of them do you see?"

"I've counted more than a hundred and fifty of their BattleMechs and they look like they were picked for size – I'd say two-thirds of them are sixty tons or more. And there are at least twice that many of their Elemental battlesuits."

Hohiro's new BattleMech was stationed further back, connected for now by a simple fibre-optic cable to Shin's position. Despite the swampy terrain, there were some areas of the delta that were sound enough for 'Mechs and heavy equipment to deploy onto – Hohiro had even kindly pinpointed several to the Smoke Jaguars as part of the 'safcon' that allowed them to land upon Albiero without interference.

Naturally, this positioned the Smoke Jaguars where the swamps were widest and they'd have most trouble reaching the banks of the river – several kilometres away. Failure to take advantage of every reasonable point that could be won in the bargaining would have been criminally negligent.

Although Hohiro had implied that his aerospace fighters were deployed to other worlds, in fact their 'other assignment' was to reserve airfields where they waited, loaded with every anti-shipping missile Theodore Kurita could arrange on short notice. Only a third of the one hundred and forty-two available fighters had the missiles and no more than twenty-five of the missiles were mounted with nuclear warheads but all the senior officers had agreed that if the Smoke Jaguars did bring their warship into play it would have to be destroyed at any cost.

In a similar vein, the value of Albiero lay in its political significance as a Prefectural capital. The industries of the southern continent were negligible after the loss of the advanced mining technologies used under the Star League. The equatorial continent was equipped with many DCMS training facilities however and both their equipment and their personnel had been available to prepare the battlefield for the oncoming battle.

"Wait until the dropships have lifted again," Hohiro instructed. "We don't want them to be low enough to serve an observational purpose."

Shin confirmed the instruction and then looked left at right at his command. Although he was still Hohiro's aide, he was now doubling as commander of the Twenty-Fourth Yurei's First Battalion. While the DCMS personnel from the training bases dug fighting pits and laid traps through the swamp, the technicians of the 'Mech regiments had worked hard to prepare the 'Mechs. Part of that was applying camouflage suitable to the muddy waters and shadowy trees. Since Shin could see only those 'Mechs whose locations he was already aware of, he was sure it had been done well. Hopefully the other preparations were similarly effective.

As the last Smoke Jaguar dropships ascended he dropped back through the hatch of his Phoenix Hawk and buckled himself in. His 'Mechs wouldn't be the first into action but when the time came, he'd need to be ready.

"I've ordered in the hover battalions. Cutting landlines."

Matching Hohiro's command, the fibre-optic connection went dead. Shin punched the button that would eject the end attached to his 'Mech. Behind him, the cable began to snake back through the trees as winches retracted it for future use. He was sure the Smoke Jaguars would approve of preserving the cable for future use, even if they hated the rest of the strategy.

His 'Mechs had been positioned in relatively narrow channels – the wider ones were reserved for this phase of the battle and now the hover tanks – Saracen, Scimitar and Saladin light tanks with powerful engines and weapons – slashed down them and engaged the enemy.

Soon the Delta was alive with the staccato of autocannon and the roar of missiles. The hover tanks couldn't defeat the Smoke Jaguars – if nothing else, there were only three battalions of them in total, but each was playing their own role in softening up the invaders for the next phase of the battle.

Saladin tanks with their assault-grade autocannon were penetrating the armour of the 'Mechs, putting them at risk of flooding vital internal compartments if they got too deep in the river water. The Saladins and Scimitars, for their part, were firing inferno loads with their missile launchers. It almost didn't matter if they needed to hit – the napalm would burn even in these soggy conditions so either a 'Mech took a hit and increased the already high temperatures or the missiles missed and created a new heat source to further confuse the environment.

None of the tanks could take many hits and – Shin winced as there was a flare of light from ahead – inferno missiles could be as much of a menace to those carrying them as those targeted by them. However, the armour crews pressed the attack for five long moments before backing off, turrets turned to the rear to fire defiant final shots into the Clanners as they retreated.

Shin studied the sky and before long three coloured flares burst to life above and in front of his position. The code was somewhat limited, but could be deployed easily by light artillery to anywhere in the swamp. In this case it was pinpointing the location of an advancing Smoke Jaguar trinary.

Fifteen Clan 'Mechs would very probably be more than a match for his battalion under normal conditions. These weren't normal conditions though and Shin punched the emergency start-up button for his reactor. The Smoke Jaguars might notice but they were about to have other problems on their hands.

There was a whistle of artillery fire arching over his position and this time they weren't firing flares. Explosions lit up the trees ahead and Shin started his Phoenix Hawk forwards at a slow walk. It wasn't possible to manage more than this with so much water resistance, but all he really needed was to avoid being a stationary target.

The first Smoke Jaguar 'Mech to wade through the line of trees and deceptively solid looking networks of tree roots was a Mad Dog. The pilot probably didn't even notice the oncoming Yurei 'Mechs as he suddenly found his 'Mech tumbling into the deeper water where engineers had dredged out a deeper channel. Submerged to his 'Mech's shoulders, the MechWarrior couldn't make effective use of his weapons, but two Panthers from Shin's leftmost company were in much better position and the water around them bubbled as they both fired the torpedo launchers replacing their PPCs.

In theory the PPCs would have worked underwater. However, their effective range would have been greatly reduced. The torpedo launchers, on the other hand, were effective out to over six hundred metres and caused far less heat build-up.

As more 'Mechs added their fire, the Mad Dog pilot fought to hold his 'Mech upright long enough and finally punched out. As the Smoke Jaguar's ejection seat rocketed into the cloudy sky, his 'Mech finally collapsed into the water.

"Tag it for recovery," Shin ordered on a low-frequency band.

A second and third 'Mech came into view, an Ebon Jaguar and a much larger Kingfisher assault 'Mech, the latter still with two Elementals clinging to its side. The larger 'Mech crashed heavily into the water, falling completely beneath the surface. As the Yurei MechWarriors closed in, the Ebon Jaguar braced itself behind the trap and fired everything it had into one of the Panthers. The water soaked up much of the impacts but through skill or good fortune, the gauss rifle in one arm caught the Panther's cockpit and the 'Mech joined its opponents on the bottom of the river.

"I have it," ordered Hohiro's voice and the command group joined the battle. Hohiro's modified Hatamoto and the rest of his lance had been refitted with LRM launchers and they fired a salvo up and over the cover of the island they sheltered behind to tear into the soft ground around the feet of the Ebon Jaguar.

With a splash, the heavy 'Mech crashed forwards on top of the Kingfisher, which was trying to stand. Sensing opportunity, the Twenty-Fourth's 'Mechs moved forwards and Shin had to hold himself back, redirecting lances so that they wouldn't leave some of their frontage uncovered. There were more than enough 'Mechs to finish these but there would be twelve more to deal with.

.o0o.

 **Tenth Lyran Guards Headquarters, Baker 3**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **20 August 3050**

A brass band hadn't particularly featured in Kai's expectations for arriving on Baker 3, but there was one anyway – along with General Kelly Danvers of the Ninth Federated Commonwealth Regimental Combat Team, General Alvin Kimmel of the Tenth Lyran Guards and Major-General James McConnel, representing Combat Command Three of the Fifteenth Deneb Light Cavalry.

"Sorry about all the fuss," Kimmel said once he'd shaken Kai's hand. "We're having to make some sacrifices to prop up civilian morale since it looks like we're getting our asses kicked right now."

"I haven't really been able to keep in touch, sir. How badly have we been hit?"

"We'll fill you in on the details later." Danvers took her turn greeting Kai. "Right now, your company is only the fourth command to have any troops successfully make a retreat to our defensive lines."

"Assuming we stretch a point and call what's left of Hot Springs PDZ a defensive line and not worlds the Falcons bypassed." McConnel looked at the band and then the crowd watching. "Give them a wave, Leutenant. Everyone loves a hero. Oh, and try to look interested when the Planetary Governor makes a rousing speech. If you're good you'll get an Ober-Leutenant's rank pin."

"I'm being promoted, sir?"

Kimmel nodded. "You've singlehandedly caused more damage to the Jade Falcons than anyone else so far. Capturing that dropship left the Cluster they sent to Maxie's World marooned for almost a month. It probably only averages a few days impact on their logistics, but every little helps. If you keep your nose clean and your mouth shut you'll probably get a medal too."

"I'm not sure I deserve a medal, sir."

"That's alright, son. You're a Leutenant – sorry, an Ober-Leutenant. No one expects you to make decisions like that. Now I, on the other hand, am a General and in my expert opinion you deserve a promotion and a medal."

Kai turned and saluted in the direction of the crowd. "Sir, what's going to happen about Sakamoto and his arms shipment?"

"Under normal circumstances we'd throw him in a deep dark hole and I'd be inclined to do so, but on the other hand, right now the DCMS are a useful buffer between the Clans and the Draconis March, so he'll probably be let go with a slap on the wrist. We're not customs inspectors, after all, and it's not as if what's he's shipping is more on par with what Danvers and McConnel's people are packing."

"Your time will come, General," McConnel assured Kimmel cheerfully. "Most of your tanks are upgraded now, aren't they? And there are shipments of brand new 'Mechs on their way from Hesperus II."

"That assumes the Clans give us that long. Right now they're mopping up on worlds only one jump away." Kimmel folded his arms behind his back and fixed a confident look on his face, one at odds with his words. "In all likelihood, they'll hit us within a matter of weeks."

.o0o.

 **Kyushu River Delta, Albiero**

 **Pesht District, Draconis Combine**

 **20 August 3050**

Hohiro had deployed the three regiments of Yurei in a loose arc that had steadily closed in upon the Smoke Jaguar landing zone, forcing them back onto islands at the bottom of the estuary. These tended to be a little larger and drier – better defensive ground for them and more of a problem to push them back from.

"Ammunition loads are beginning to run short," Shin warned. While replacing PPCs and lasers with missile launchers had drastically cut the rate at which 'Mechs overheated, it did leave them unusually dependent on ammunition – and that didn't count the four 'Mechs just in Shin's battalion who had reported losing the use of a limb due to what were probably hastily applied seals breaking. If that ratio held true across the whole force then the Yurei had probably a battalion operating on reduced or no combat effectiveness before even enemy fire was taken into account.

Hohiro stopped his 'Mech behind cover. "Understood, Shin. Hold in place." He brought up his radio to full power and sent the same instructions to the rest of the brigade before switching to another frequency. "Tai-sa Asano. I believe it's time to introduce our guests to the Black Ocean."

There was a short "Hai."

The Genyosha had been moving into position for hours. Ideally they would have been deployed before the Smoke Jaguars landed, but it was impossible to predict exactly where they would end up. So instead they'd made a long, slow and careful trek, guided by transmissions from the Yurei command vans well to the rear.

More than seventy BattleMechs reared up out of the water onto sandbars behind the Smoke Jaguars and opened fire with LRMs and PPCs. Dozens of smaller 'Mechs were even closer, feeding targeting data back to the rest of the regiment while they remained in the shallows.

Surprise was total. Many of the Smoke Jaguar 'Mechs at the rear were already damaged and almost all of them had their backs turned towards the Genyosha. BattleMech after BattleMech fell while the survivors scattered and moved for cover. Almost a dozen were on the ground before any credible return fire began to lash out at the DCMS BattleMechs.

The Smoke Jaguars were finally free to make use of their longer range, but many of them had also expended considerable ammunition already while the Genyosha force included well-armoured designs like Archers, Grand Dragons and Hatamoto-kaze 'Mechs. Even the handful of new Naginata 'Mechs that carried most of the C3 Master computers were well armoured and could afford to take a hit or two before their armour was dangerously thinned.

And then, almost as swiftly as they'd appeared, the Genyosha descended back into the water where their heatsinks and the steady flow of river water against their armour would help bleed off the heat generated by their barrage.

Hohiro studied the results relayed from the Genyosha's sensors. "How many casualties do the analysts believe the Jaguars have taken?"

"Based on reports from all engaged troops, we've confirmed more than fifty 'Mech kills. It's harder to be sure of Elementals – at least as many have been killed but the number could be higher – we don't have good data on the damage done by our artillery."

And for every 'Mech disabled there was probably another with its armour depleted and ammunition expended. If we press this, we can destroy them. But at what cost? "Our own losses?"

"Seventy-one 'Mechs have been destroyed or withdrawn as no longer fit for combat. Forty-four more 'Mechs have taken flooding damage – they can fight but only to a limited extent."

Their losses are fewer than mine, but proportionately worse. Of course, my own MechWarriors are also tired and there is no use asking how many can truly fight at full effectiveness. Still… if my own casualties are painful, how must theirs feel? War is fought by men, not machines and they have never been bled like this.

"Very well. Command, relay my transmission to the enemy on the same channel used previously." Hohiro cleared his throat. "Galaxy Commander Dieter Osis. I am Hohiro Kurita. I salute the courage of your warriors." But not the wit of their commander. "It is my understanding that your culture abhors waste and that for this reason a defeated warrior may retreat, rather than throw away valuable war material when there is no longer a chance of victory." He paused checking the pronunciation of the term – the Davion data had been extensive. "I offer you hegira."

There was a crackling on the frequency and then he heard Dieter Osis' voice. "Truly, you have learned much of our ways, Tai-sa Hohiro. You speak the truth – my warriors have fought bravely. It is my own poor bargaining that leaves the Mistweavers in such an untenable position. I accept your offer."

Hohiro sighed in relief before opening his microphone. "Very well. You may bring in your dropships to lift you off world. We will send a hover truck with those prisoners we have taken, return any captives you have taken on the same truck." He drew back his teeth. "I will also send a dropship to rendezvous with our warship. Do ensure there are no difficulties with the handover."

"As I have pledged, so it will be done." Osis' voice lowered slightly. "We will likely never meet again, Hohiro of the Kuritas. But know you have redoubled your value in our eyes. Wherever you go, the Smoke Jaguars will hunt you."

Triumph flooded through Hohiro. "You are mistaken, Smoke Jaguar. It is I who will hunt your clan."

.o0o.

 **Tenth Lyran Guards Headquarters, Baker 3**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **22 August 3050**

To Kai's relief, the formal celebrations of their arrival were set aside after the first day – there was a battle to prepare for, after all. The next day had involved debriefings and MechWarrior Diana had been handed off to Military Intelligence for detailed questioning.

"Am I being punished for something?" groaned Dave Jewell the next morning as they watched a Lyran Guards Griffin approach their barracks. Whoever had built the base had decided to bury slightly more than company-sized 'Mech hangers (who used fourteen-strong companies?) in well-spaced bunkers and build the living quarters for the MechWarriors and support personnel above them, only slightly offset.

"Perhaps you have a guilty conscience from going out drinking last night." Certainly the way he was shading his eyes and wincing every time the Griffin's foot hit concrete suggested a hangover.

"I only ever feel guilty about that if Katherine is waiting for me at home and she should be two hundred light years away so that's probably not it. Why are we up at the crack of dawn, anyway?"

"Blame the generals."

"I miss the old LCAF where the Generals were too busy getting sauced in the evening to schedule anything before noon."

"You really don't," Helen assured him. "Early mornings were the only time we could get anything done without them turning up and giving two or three contradictory orders. So who are we waiting for?"

"According to the last call I got, it's either our new Hauptmann or the military police."

"Why are you expecting the military police, LT?"

Kai gave Dave a wide-eyed look. "Well, that would depend on what you and Double-O got up to last night."

"Shit! I don't think I did anything out of line. Did you punch someone, Double-O?"

She screwed up her nose. "I don't think so. I don't remember so much after my seventh beer."

"Oh great."

The Griffin came to a halt near, but not blocking, the ramp down into the hanger and the hatch popped open. A neurohelmeted head poked out. "Good morning. Is one of you Ober-Leutenant Allard?"

"That's me!"

"Great, let me get my 'Mech squared away and I'll be right back." Leaving the hatch open, the MechWarrior walked it down the stepped slope and out of view.

"New company commander?"

"Looks like it. Who'd give the MPs a 'Mech, anyway?"

"Depends who they're restraining. Did you see what Diana did to Sakamoto's thug on the dropship? If they were escorting her around, I'd want a lance!"

After a few minutes the Griffin's MechWarrior returned, jumpsuit still unzipped at wrists and ankles. "Ober-Leutenant, good to meet you." He offered his hand to Kai. "Hauptmann Caradoc Trevana."

"Ober-Leutenant Kai Allard. This is Feldwebel Dave Jewell and MechWarrior Helen O'Connell-O'Bannon."

"Pleased to meet you." Trevana fished a document out of the folder he was carrying, checked it and then read from it: "By order of General Alvin Kimmel, on the authority invested in him by the Archon's commission, yadda yadda, the detachment of the Eleventh Lyran Guards under the command of Ober-Leutenant Kai Allard-Liao is hereby reassigned to the Tenth Lyran Guards Regimental Combat Team. Said detachment henceforth designated as Company J open-bracket, Joker, close bracket and command of Company J is hereby assigned to Hauptmann Caradoc Trevana. Signed... Well, that looks like General Kimmel's signature to me." He offered the document to Kai.

"Did he just say 'yadda yadda'?" asked Dave under his breath.

"It's a brave new world in the AFFC," Helen confirmed.

Kai checked the document and confirmed it was all in order, despite Trevana's casual recitation. "Hauptmann, I surrender command." He saluted.

Trevana returned the salute, surprisingly crisply. "Ober-Leutenant, I accept command." He looked up at the sky. "I think we might be in for some rain, let's take this inside. How are the rest of the company?"

Kai walked alongside him into the building, followed by Dave and Helen. "Stabsfeldwebel Mackensen and his lance are working with the techs on repairs to their 'Mechs. They seem to think they should be able to fit new arms to his Zeus, which will bring us up to seven operational 'Mechs, eight counting your Griffin. MechWarrior Edgehill has taken three of the other MechWarriors to collect replacement uniforms and personal kits for everyone – they should be back before lunch, unless the supply department make a fuss."

"Sounds good. How's your mess? We can get by without spare uniforms but food is another matter."

"We're all set up. Mackensen checked all the stores and arrangements yesterday."

Trevana nodded. "Okay. I take it your 'Mech is one of the ones that needs more repairs?"

"Yes sir. Rifleman parts are available but with only so much time, the technicians are prioritising 'Mechs that'll be faster to get back in service."

"Kind of necessary, but I understand it's hard on those of you who are effectively dispossessed." Trevana pulled out another piece of paper. "Have the four 'Mechs that can't be repaired in time prepped for transport. General Kimmel has authorised four replacements out of a shipment we've received all the way from Defiance Industries. The damaged 'Mechs will be held in the base's boneyard and repaired as and when the techs have a chance – chances are we'll have a lot more battlefield repairs to carry out in the future."

Kai winced at handing over Legendkiller. "Some of those 'Mechs are family owned, sir."

"Needs of the service. If all goes well, we'll straighten things out after the Falcons are dealt with. If things don't go well then it probably won't matter much to any of us." Trevana shrugged. "Just how it is. Look on the bright side, the 'Mechs are the new Ausf S types – the Tenth are one of the first Lyran Guards units to start receiving them."

"What's Ausf S?" Dave asked. "I thought the Ausf R gear like the refits on my Wolverine were state of the art – well, except the Clans' stuff."

"Ausf S is next generation technology," Kai explained. "I haven't been formally briefed on it, but it's usually not cost-effective to refit for existing 'Mechs. It's only been cleared for a few units until recently – the Marshals didn't want samples falling into hostile hands until they had a significant quantity."

Trevana nodded. "It's supposed to be comparable to the gear the Clans use."

"We could have done with that on Maxie's Planet," muttered Helen.

"We live in an imperfect universe," Trevana told her. "If it makes you feel better, the Jade Falcons probably don't have any idea what they're going to run into here and on the other worlds that have been reinforced nearby. The Deneb Light Cavalry and Federated Commonwealth RCTs are completely upgraded to Ausf S equipment and they've been training on simulations built around data from battles like yours. This is where we stop them cold."

.o0o.

 **Avalon City, New Avalon**

 **Crucis March, Federated Suns**

 **29 August 3050**

"I've already ceded all the old St Ives worlds," Hanse Davion pointed out. "I'm not returning the Sarna March, so you're going to have to live with that."

"You've made some impressive statements regarding bringing the Capellan Confederation into the Federated Commonwealth as an equal, but I'm seeing very little action on your part to back that up." Never in a hundred years would Sun-Tzu have dared to address his mother in such a fashion but Hanse Davion, despite his fearsome reputation, somehow didn't appear to be quite so intimidating. Besides his future rather depended on being a credible negotiator on behalf of his aunt.

The First Prince tugged at his uniform tunic. "I'd be willing to consider some minor border adjustments – the Zilang salient perhaps. And the removal of trade barriers should drastically bolster your economy."

"Removing some of the late Chancellor's… excessive regulations is already underway. However, I believe most Capellans will react poorly to being ruled from Tharkad or New Avalon without even the restraints that exist on the legal authority our Chancellor."

"I don't recall that those restraints had much effect on your mother."

Sun-Tzu restrained a flinch. "I concede that no system is perfect, however your own system is even more vulnerable to absolutism. And I'd add that you've already demanded several Capellan regiments to help fight in defence of your wife's domain. What do we receive from this union?"

"I see why Candace wanted you on her negotiating team." Hanse took another forkful of salad, the discussions being carried out on an informal basis.

Also, as Sun-Tzu gathered, the Prince's eldest daughter was taking medical courses at NAIS and had leveraged this with her mother to enforce a change of diet. If the food was causing him discomfort, that only supported Sun-Tzu's position. He used his own fork to spear a meatball and deliberately chewed on it.

"I won't deny your position has some merit," conceded the older man. "Since territorial gains aren't really practical on the scale you've suggested, do you have an alternative proposal?"

"As it happens." Sun-Tzu reached down and opened his attaché case, producing a slim file. When he looked back at his plate he could have sworn there was a meatball missing and Hanse was chewing vigorously.

"Do you steal candy too?"

Hanse's eyes twinkled dangerously. "I have absolutely no idea what you mean."

"Perhaps I should ask your daughter."

A spoonful of grated carrots was deposited on his plate. "Eat your vegetables, young man. Katherine assures me they're good for you."

How much of this was… eccentricity and how much was the Fox trying to play him. "Is this a convoluted match-making scheme? She isn't precisely 'my type', if you will."

He was gratified to see Hanse colour visibly. "Alright, what exactly is in that file?"

"You might call it a draft."

Hanse accepted the file and leafed through the papers as he finished his salad. "You want me to create a permanent legislative assembly?"

"In theory you already have on in the form of the Federated Suns High Council, although it's remarkably toothless compared to the House of Scions as matters stand – much less the Estates General. Representation from every world in the Federated Commonwealth, chosen by whatever method suits the world, gives everyone a voice and by extension a stake in the future of the Federated-Commonwealth."

"And headed by a board of Prefects from each March, elected by the representatives of each March, one of whom then serves as Chancellor and represents the assembly in the Archon-Prince's cabinet. It seems familiar from somewhere."

"The system has worked, more or less, for over five hundred years." Sun-Tzu tilted his head in thought. "As I recall, the Federated Suns has had to restructure their entire government twice in that time."

"Touché." Hanse reached the end and then flipped back through, checking points of interest. "We'll have to let the lawyers and diplomats look at this, but in principle it seems to have potential. Selling it to the Estates-General will be Melissa's job though and she may co-opt you, so you have fair warning."

"Just for that, restore Monhagen to the Capellan Commonality along with the worlds of the Zilang salient."

The First Prince scowled and scribbled a note on his own documents. "I'll consider it."

There was a knock on the door and Hanse brightened as he saw his nephew. "Ah, reinforcements. Help me Morgan, he keeps trying to talk me out of more Capellan March worlds."

Morgan gave him a look. "It's like an anti-drugs campaign, Hanse. Just say 'no'."

"That doesn't help very much. So what brings you here?"

"The Clans have reached Defence Line Gamma. Clan Wolf and Clan Jade Falcon have landed troops on nine worlds."

Sun-Tzu saw the light-hearted Hanse drop away in an instant, replaced by the warrior prince.

"And?"

Morgan nodded. "They came in the same way they have so far. They don't appear to have suspected a thing."

"Then…" Hanse clenched one hand. "We have them!"

"As the spider said to the fly," murmured Sun-Tzu. "Or like a tiger by the tail?"

.o0o.

 **New Yukonberg, Skokie**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **3 September 3050**

Garth Radick's Dire Wolf brought one foot down on the upper deck of the AFFC hover tank and he deliberately tilted the assault 'Mech to apply its full weight upon a chassis that usually only supported a third of the mass. The tank, a near copy of the SLDF's Lightning hover tank, crumpled under the impact.

Crude brawling in a BattleMech was hardly conduct worth of a Khan, but the defenders of this world hadn't even pretended to respect zellbrigen. Securing the landing zone had cost almost an entire trinary of aerospace fighters – if it weren't for the Smoke Jaguar's disgrace he would have been tempted to call forward a warship to cover the vulnerable dropships but now that was impractical.

And despite this, he had yet to see a single enemy 'Mech.

Hover tanks, like this one, certainly. Artillery scuttling around behind cover and launching missiles that scoured away armour and elementals.

Garth checked his map. "Through the next pass," he reminded his escort. "Our aerospace patrols reported sighting a heavy armoured battalion outside the town."

The MechWarriors growled – like wolves, he thought - and moved back into formation as they headed up the slope, faster Man O'War and Timber Wolf Omni-Mechs ranging forwards behind a Star of five Ice Ferret mediums. His own Dire Wolf was by far the slowest machine in the trinary, but Garth considered that a reasonable trade-off for its awesome firepower.

The pass was thinly wooded along the mountain flanks but a good road followed the easiest slope upwards and the trees near it had been cut down recently and reseeded with saplings not yet even as tall as an Elemental. There wasn't enough cover for an ambush and the Wolves were able to push the pace.

Near the top of the pass there was a sharp change with the trees here older and taller. The pines still offered minimal cover for anything the size of a BattleMech or tank but they were much taller and the gaps between them would allow ready movement by combat units.

"Watch out for more hover tanks," warned Garth.

Nothing came into view though, until the road curved to one side and the pass opened out to reveal their destination. New Yukonberg was a small town, nothing but a dot on the map Garth was using, but the valley around it was terraced for some kind of agriculture and Radick could see a monorail terminus so there must be some economic value to it. If the defenders had brought their tanks here by rail they would find it harder to remove them since air-strikes had severed the line in several places.

"There's a 'Mech down there!" exclaimed one of his MechWarriors.

"Where!"

"It just moved behind the monorail."

Garth's pulse quickened. "Are you sure it wasn't a work-Mech?"

"Definitely not. It moved well and there was a muzzle on the end of one arm."

"Could you make out any markings?"

"Black and red. I didn't see any – there it is again!"

Turning his head, Garth spotted it this time as it moved between two buildings. Lean and aggressively styled, he could almost see the head as wolf-like. The warbook didn't bring up any matches.

"Where there is one there will likely be others," he cautioned them. "If this is a new design, we want to capture it sufficiently intact for analysis. Star Commander Roberto, take your command forward and cut off his retreat. And keep an eye out for the tanks that were reported, quiaff?"

"Aff." Roberto's Ice Ferrets, cut free of maintaining position relative to the other two Stars, surged forwards and quickly left them behind.

Garth loped down towards the town, not rushing the pace. He switched on his external speakers. "This is Khan Garth Radick of Clan Wolf. Who defends this town?"

To his surprise, there was a reply – not from a speaker but transmitted on Clan Wolf's standard tactical frequency. "Garth Radick. I don't recall that name. You must have been whelped after my time."

"Who is this?" he demanded, checking his sensors. "Where are you?"

"I'm the Black Widow," the woman replied. "And you've entered my web, Garth Radick."

"Black Widow? I know of no one by that name. Are you some kind of mercenary?"

She laughed at him.

"And why would you expect to know the name of a Khan..." The pieces fell together in his mind. "You were one of the Wolf Dragoons!"

"I still am." And then her voice sharpened. "I've been waiting a long time for this. Close the jaws!"

A wave of sharp, crisp explosions behind them toppled trees along the top of the pass, turning several hundred pines into an improvised abatis that might not stop a 'Mech but could very likely slow it. Garth had almost no attention to spare for this however as tank after tank surged up and out of the ground, camouflage mats torn aside and in some cases entire faux-buildings collapsing.

"Ambush!" he ordered. "Attack!"

Back would have them cut apart as they tried to negotiate the fallen trees, while tanks – whatever their number – were inherently inferior to BattleMechs.

No one, however, appeared to have informed these tanks of that and as they ground their way across the valley, each poured volley after volley of long-range missiles into his 'Mechs. Inner Sphere LRMs were notoriously ineffectual at ranges below two hundred metres due to their inferior arming mechanisms but this didn't hinder these tanks appreciably – those of the Keshik who closed in were still subjected to the LRMs and also to lasers, SRMs and autocannon.

"This is worse than fighting the Hells Horses!" Garth fired everything he had into what his targeting computer called a Manticore heavy tank.

The tank's armour peeled away and his missiles tore the left track to shreds but the turret still came around and a laser stabbed into the armour of one leg before a mismatched pair of missile launchers launched more than two dozen missiles into him.

The warbook pinged an anomaly – the targeting system for the Manticore's SRM launcher was a Streak type only used by the SLDF and Clan units. Then it pinged again, highlighting the LRM launcher as being too large for the known Manticore capabilities.

Garth lowered one arm to point it directly into the rents he'd caused already and fired all the lasers and autocannon mounted in it. Smoke poured from the tank's hull and then a column of fire erupted out of the turret as ammunition stores detonated.

These tanks have been upgraded, he realised. Their technology is... our own?

"Khan Radick, we must withdraw."

Shaking his head at the foolishness, there was no route to do so, Garth looked downhill towards Star Commander Roberto. "Roberto, see if you can get your 'Mechs out. You should be faster than most of their units."

"They are between us and the route south," reported the young officer. "I count thirty-two 'Mechs. Older types, but they are hitting us with weapons that match our range."

"It appears that the Wolf Dragoons have turned renegade." The Khan pushed his 'Mech into a run, spraying fire across a pair of tanks that tried to move into his path. "Form a wedge, we shall try to punch through and re-join Roberto."

"Yeah, I'm thinking not." The same woman's voice from before and Garth's eyes widened as the 'Mech from before moved into view, accompanied by many more. Most were much larger than the unfamiliar design and his sensors finally identified the source of the transmissions – a Cyclops assault 'Mech, infamous for their advanced tactical computers.

The 'Mech fired and Garth wasn't at all surprised that the lasers in the arms, far from being the anaemic medium lasers the warbook predicted, were fully as powerful as the extended range lasers on his own Dire Wolf.

Normally that wouldn't have made it an even match – the Dire Wolf was larger and carried a weapon payload unparalleled even to the Clans - but he'd already taken damage and Kerensky moved the Cyclops fluidly out of the path of his return fire before snapping off another shot from one laser and adding fire from the autocannon and LRM battery mounted in the sides of her 'Mech's torso.

The gyro of the Dire Wolf fought to keep the large 'Mech upright despite the smashing impacts, the rough ground and the speed Garth was demanding. It took all his skill to avoid a fall and at least one of his Keshik wasn't as successful as a Timber Wolf skidded down the hill, tumbling. The tanks behind them didn't hesitate to hammer ruthlessly at the fallen 'Mech.

He hammered at the Cyclops with his own autocannon, demanding maximum rate of fire from the weapons. If they jammed, they jammed. Right now, he didn't estimate his chances of staying alive long enough to empty the magazines as being particularly high. One stream of shells caught the Cyclops just below the shoulder, leaving a line of craters right below what he now recognised as the baying wolf insignia of their former reconnaissance force.

"What could they have possibly have offered you to defect?" he demanded. "You are a warrior of Clan Wolf! The Founder's own chosen Clan!"

"You probably wouldn't understand." The Cyclops halted and Garth saw the air around it ripple with heat as it unleashed its every weapon directly at him. The arm pod containing all the weapons on his 'Mech's left arm went black on the damage display. Looking out of the cockpit showed that it was still there – some control linkage must have been severed. "Let me put it this way: what do the Clans have to offer me? A place in a Solahma unit or wiping the nose of snot-nosed pups who don't know a 'Mech from a knocking shop?"

She fired again, ignoring the fire that Garth and even the 'Mech next to him – possibly the only other survivor of the Keshik, he wasn't sure – poured into her Cyclops as they closed the distance.

"I'm General Natasha Kerensky of the Wolf Dragoons." She stepped forwards into the charge and with more precision than he'd seen in even some of the best warriors, kicked one leg out from under his Dire Wolf even as one hand latched onto its shoulder and yanked.

The Dire Wolf crashed face first into the ground and Garth Radick tasted blood in his mouth. For a moment he thought he'd bitten his tongue and then he saw that the canopy had broken inwards, shards digging into his chest.

Kerensky's voice still came through his speakers. "I'm the Black Widow of Beta Regiment. And I'm about to kill a Khan of Clan Wolf."

Garth craned his neck around just in time to see the muzzle of Kerensky's autocannon come to bear on what was left of his cockpit.

.o0o.

 **Medellin Ford, Baker 3**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **6 September 3050**

It was an absurd coincidence that the Jade Falcons chasing Joker Company towards the river were from the same Cluster that had fought most of them on Maxie's Planet. At least Hauptmann Trevana had received a heads-up from the RCT's intelligence section that the Ninety-Fourth Striker Cluster had been declared as part of the invasion force. If Kai and the others had encountered them without warning it would have been a nasty shock.

They were also gaining swiftly as the ford came into view around a bend in the road.

Trevana spun his Griffin around. "The river's high," he announced. "Anyone who can't jump, get across now. Those of us with jump-jets will buy some time and then you give us supporting fire as we cross."

As reorganised under Trevana, his command lance included Dave Jewell's Wolverine and both the new Griffins, so they formed the core of the defensive line. Kai pulled aside to join the line along with Welf Vandermeer's Phoenix Hawk while Maria and Helen headed for the ford, neither the Sentinel nor the Hunchback had jump-jets. Abigail Twoflowers' Hatchetman moved around to join Kai, giving him an impromptu and understrength lance to work with.

He was still getting used to the Hatchetman. He'd tried out the earlier models used in the Fourth Succession War in simulators back at the Academy, but this Ausf S version felt entirely different – you could very much feel the larger engine through the seat of your shorts and it was an uncompromising close-combat machine.

The first 'Mech around the corner was a Stormcrow – not the model with the assault autocannon, fortunately – and it bolted to one side as it registered that the Falcon's prey had turned to fight. Lasers spat out at Trevana's lance and they returned fire with PPCs and Jewell's autocannon.

Meanwhile, a pair of Kit Foxes had followed the Stormcrow into them and Kai bounded forwards, cutting heatsinks out of the Hatchetman's coolant system. It was a delicate balancing act – too much and he could seriously damage the 'Mech, too little and he wouldn't trigger the advanced myomers.

A laser slashed into the right chest of his 'Mech from the Kit Fox in front of him. He returned fire with both the left arm lasers and the autocannon, feeling the temperature rise in the cockpit. The lasers stabbed into the Kit Fox's leg while the autocannon tore through the chest armour in a single long stream of depleted uranium penetrators.

On his cockpit displays, the heat gauge hit yellow and the 'Mech surged forwards. The advanced myomers that powered its limbs reached peak performance, well above that of other 'Mechs, only when heated to what would impair other 'Mechs. Fortunately, most Mechs had little difficulty building up heat.

Kai brought the right arm of the Hatchetman down and the axe that gave the 'Mech its name clove through the Kit Fox's right shoulder and deep into the systems buried in the chest. He wrenched it free and then Welf caught up, seizing either side of the massive wound with the hands of his Phoenix Hawk and triggering the lasers and machineguns underslung in the 'Mech's forearms. The Kit Fox crashed to the ground as its gyro was torn apart, almost dragging Welf's 'Mech with it.

Abigail hadn't had the same back-up, or managed to quite handle her heat as precisely. Still, she outweighed the Kit Fox and even without the myomers reaching peak performance, she could match its mobility. The hatchet on her 'Mech had jammed into the barrel of the Kit Fox's main gun and the two 'Mechs were almost wrestling.

That was when the rest of the Jade Falcon Star arrived – a Stormcrow and a Mad Dog.

"Back up to the shore," ordered Trevana. The Stormcrow he'd been firing at was still returning fire but it had lost one arm. He fired his jump-jets and the Griffin bounded backwards, missiles spitting from its launcher and striking the ground between the Stormcrow's feet.

Kai thumbed a switch on his right joystick and his autocannon cycled. "Abigail, hold still." Then he pulled the trigger, hosing the Kit Fox down with cluster ammunition. The armour over the Jade Falcon's right arm shattered, releasing the hatchet.

The delay though, meant that the two of them were the last to withdraw and the Mad Dog walked pulse lasers across Kai's Hatchetman before firing both the missile launchers built into its torso. Advanced myomers or not, the 'Mech couldn't carry any more armour and the missile warheads cracked plates of ferro-fibrous protection all across the front of the Hatchetman.

Caught firing his jump jets, Kai stabbed down with one foot instinctively to rebalance his thrust to counter the shifting weight. Abigail's 'Mech spiralled wildly and he realised one leg was missing below the knee, so she'd lost several jump-jets.

For a moment he thought they were going to collide but then she cut power to jets and her 'Mech crashed down to the ground, short of the river.

The two Stormcrows darted forwards, after her. Kai triggered his autocannon and swept cluster rounds across the one Trevana's lance had been engaging earlier. The cluster rounds tore into the already damaged armour and the 'Mech retreated, limping.

The other speared the fallen Hatchetman with lasers, the beams punching through the left side of the chest. Armoured panels blew out as ammunition detonated, directing the worst of the blast out of the rear of the 'Mech. For a moment Kai thought Abigail had been knocked unconscious by the explosion as her Hatchetman slumped but then both arms pushed at the ground, elevating far enough for the head module to eject, arcing across the river and away from the Clans.

More Jade Falcon 'Mechs moved into view as Trevana's lance concentrated their fire on the Mad Dog. "Back across the river," ordered Trevana.

Kai noted that his 'Mech's temperature had fallen below the myomer threshold and obeyed quickly, firing both lasers in mid-air, scoring through the armour on the Stormcrow that had taken out Abigail's 'Mech.

As they bounded back across the ford, a volley from the 'Mechs on the other side smashed into the Mad Dog and Kai saw the left side missile launcher explode as missiles in the internal magazines detonated. As with Abigail's Mech, the internal structures saved the rest of the 'Mech and it didn't even fall.

"Good work." Trevana's voice was cool – for all his casualness about routine military affairs, he seemed to have a level head in action. "Edgehill, go pick up Twoflowers."

"Can we hold them here?" asked Mackensen. "I'm kind of sick of retreating from these bastards."

"Holding them isn't exactly the plan." Trevana crouched his 'Mech. "Watch your heads."

"What...?"

Well behind the ford, concealed in thick undergrowth, twelve tracked vehicles elevated their turrets and massive missiles blasted forth, the back-blast shredding the vegetation that had concealed them from aerial scouts.

The first thing the Jade Falcons bunched up at the ford knew about this was when the missiles rose above the horizon. And then they descended, masking the battered trinary from Kai's view. The rear-most five 'Mechs had been carrying Elementals and he could have sworn he saw one hurled a hundred feet up in the air.

Then a second salvo of missiles hit the Falcons.

"Nice when these things work out." Trevana straightened his 'Mech. "I always worry the cannoncockers will land the missiles short and shoot up our own positions. To answer your question, Stabsfeldwebel, we aren't going to hold them here." He brought up his PPC and fired into the conflagration. "We're going to annihilate them here."

.o0o.

 **Reyhavik, Rasalhague**

 **Wolf Occupation Zone**

 **10 September 3050**

Ulric Kerensky raised his hand for silence. Not all of the Clan Council were present but with HPG links established through most of the Occupation Zone he could at least assemble a quorum through remote attendees. Even so, a significant number of Bloodnamed were unavailable at the leading edge of the invasion.

"I have assembled the Clan Council to inform you all of recent events. We have encountered what may be the greatest threat to Operation Revival encountered so far."

A hologram of a star map appeared in the centre of the chamber, once used by the Rasalhague Riksdag. "Only days ago we began the fifth wave of attacks into the Inner Sphere. With Rasalhague's Kirchbach Province completely under our control, we were faced with the Radstadt salient, a line of Federated Commonwealth worlds that almost cuts Rasalhague in two. As this gives the Federated Commonwealth access deep inside Rasalhague and even allows them to cross it and strike at the Draconis Combine, it is no surprise that information suggested we would be dealing with powerful defensive works and large, well prepared garrisons. In addition, Tamar is a regional capital of the Federated Commonwealth."

"Five initial targets were bid for and saKhan Garth Radick secured the rights to invade Skokie and Moritz with elements of Beta Galaxy, which was fully committed with the Third Battle Cluster and 341st Assault Cluster striking at Moritz while Khan Radick led the remainder of the Galaxy to land on Skokie. Khan Radick was offered, and declined, the option to bid elements of Epsilon Galaxy alongside Beta Galaxy."

Ulric paused for effect. "Fighting on the other three targeted worlds - Kandis, Stanzach and Radstadt - remains very much in the balance and at this time I am unwilling to draw on our reserves to launch the intended invasion of Tamar until we have secured at least one of these worlds. Beta Galaxy has been driven from Moritz and Skokie with heavy casualties. Khan Radick fell in battle."

He let the angry shouts exhaust echo around the chamber before bringing up another hologram. "This is Galaxy Commander Natasha Kerensky. Almost fifty years ago she was among the officers entrusted to lead the Wolf Dragoons to study the Inner Sphere and report back on the worlds and militaries here. All indications are that she personally killed Khan Radick."

"She is of your Bloodhouse, Ulric!" Conal Ward had not bid his command unit for the fighting on Radstadt and so he was able to attend in person. "Why is she fighting against us?"

"That remains to be determined. Our last contact with Galaxy Commander Kerensky took place in 3019. As most of you will be aware, we have as our guest on Rasalhague Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht, representing ComStar. As their military commander he is familiar with Inner Sphere military leaders and may be able to shed light upon her more recent activities."

"I remember Natasha Kerensky." Cyrilla Ward spoken from the home worlds. As leader of her Bloodhouse her career had spanned decades. More importantly, Conal would not dare directly challenge the head of the Wards in front of the Clan Council. "I would hear what this man has to say about her."

Ulric pressed a control and a moment later the robed Precentor Martial entered the chamber. "Khan Kerensky. I am at your service."

"You are familiar with the Wolf Dragoons?" asked Cyrilla Ward bluntly.

Focht turned to face her. "They have been a subject of interest to ComStar for decades."

"And Natasha Kerensky."

His one eye narrowed. "Yes. I remember Natasha Kerensky… vividly. She has that sort of personality."

Conal leant forwards. "Has Ulric told you that she was part of Clan Wolf?"

"I suspected a connection. However we have not discussed the matter before today."

"We are getting away from the point," Ulric warned. "Precentor Martial, please summarise what you know of her since, shall we say 3019."

The Precentor Martial furrowed his brow in thought. "She commanded a semi-independent raiding force known as the Black Widow Company – directly answerable to Jaime Wolf rather than one of the Dragoon regimental commanders. During the Dragoons' employment by House Steiner and House Kurita she was frequently assigned status equivalent to a senior officer despite her low rank. Following Jaime Wolf's death on Crossing in 3029 she was functionally and later formally in command of the Wolf Dragoons."

"In 3030 she ended the mercenary status of the Dragoons, pledging them to the AFFS. At this time they were significantly reduced in strength and it was rumoured that without Hanse Davion's support they might have been unable to rebuild."

"The Dragoons joined the Federated Commonwealth!?" Conal shouted.

"The Federated Suns, at the time, yes." Focht's voice was mild.

"And later?" asked Ulric.

"She acted as commander in the field for the Dragoons – for most of the 3030s they maintained Alpha Regiment on their home world as a quasi-garrison and training unit while she commanded Beta Regiment in the field. More recently with additional Dragoon regiments reformed the regiments have been on a more equal footing but she remains the Beta Regiment commander in addition to holding the AFFC rank of General. I would expect her to be on Skokie with her regiment at this time."

Ulric nodded. "That is the case, Precentor Martial."

"Why would she side with Davion?"

"That has been a matter of some curiosity for my Order," Focht admitted. "The prevailing theory at the time was that she wished to strike back at the Draconis Combine, which arguably betrayed the Dragoons and certainly inflicted very heavy losses on them. It seemed reasonable that having broken the back of the Capellan Confederation that Hanse Davion would next turn his attention to the Draconis Combine. In that sense they would have a common cause."

"And yet there has been no major war in the Inner Sphere since then."

"Much to everyone's surprise, no."

The Khan folded his hands behind his back. "Very interesting. Does anyone else have questions for the Precentor Martial?"

Star Colonel Mikel Furey rose to his feet. "ComStar provided information to Khan Kerensky to aid in planning our operations. For example, identifying the Fifth Donegal Guards, the Eighth Syrtis Fusiliers and elements of the Fifth Deneb Light Cavalry as being on Stanzach."

"That is true."

"I have reviewed this information as well as the battle reports from Gamma Galaxy clusters engaged on Stanzach. Not once in your data is it mentioned that the combat vehicles used by all three units – and in the case of the Deneb Light Cavalry their 'Mechs as well – are equipped with weapons and armour effectively the equal of our own."

The room went silent. Focht gripped the podium. "Equal to your own?"

"Our technicians salvaged armour and weapons from several disabled tanks. Testing confirmed that they not only match our capabilities, they are completely compatible with our systems. I am assured that this cannot be coincidence – someone has given the Inner Sphere our technology. And you, Focht, you kept this fact from us."

"I can offer you my absolute assurance that no one in my Order was aware of this. I freely confess that our information must have been incomplete but there was no duplicity."

"And how do we know that your Primus is not in collusion with Davion?"

Focht's lips twitched. "Galaxy Commander, when I inform Primus Waterly that Hanse Davion has armed his forces with weapons equal to your own it is entirely possible you will hear her outrage from here without an HPG."

.o0o.

 **Gamora, Twycross**

 **Jade Falcon Occupation Zone**

 **11 September 3050**

"I am sorry to have delayed our meeting." Elias Crichell gestured apologetically towards the hologram of his saKhan 'sat' across the desk from him. "Civilian matters in our enclave here have been pressing."

"It is a rare warrior who prioritises the administration of the Clan over battle." Timur Malthus' words didn't precisely suggest whether that rarity was a good thing... or the reverse.

The older Khan didn't react directly to the implied criticism. Instead he called up a document on the holographic display built into his desk and flicked it. Obediently the computer systems queued it for transfer to Malthus own matching computer, light years away. There was barely a flicker as the added data was transmitted.

"One of the scientists assessing the resources of this prize found a decades old report on Jonah's Reach, one of the outer planets in this system. The spheroids had no idea what they had found but I am assured that its frozen oceans can be exploited as a source of harjel."

Malthus blinked. "That would break the Diamond Shark's monopoly." Harjel, critical in the sealant used in Elemental battle suits and specialised underwater equipment, was absurdly lucrative and there was only one source in the Clan Home worlds.

"Precisely. Let the Wolves boast of taking Rasalhague. This alone will bring great wealth to Clan Jade Falcon, more than enough to support all our operations here so far. It may take as much as a year to develop it but it is well out of the reach of the other Clans. We should have come here decades ago."

"Elizabeth Hazen would have agreed with you." Crichell's predecessor had been a fervent Crusader and had died only a few short years ago. Kael Pershaw limped forwards and into the view of the holo cameras built into the desk. Officially the commander of Sigma Galaxy, his primary responsibility was the Clan Jade Falcon's intelligence gathering service. Pershaw still clung to warrior status - somehow - despite the substitution of cybernetics for almost half his body.

"Pershaw." Malthus turned to glare at him. "What do you have to bring to this conversation?"

"If your report is what I suspect, confirmation that we are not the only Clan to face reversals."

Crichell blinked. "Reversals? What do you mean?"

"It seems the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth have finally gathered in sufficient numbers to put up noticeable resistance," Malthus admitted reluctantly. "All three of our initial targets for this wave are defended by at least two of their BattleMech regiments and far more capable armoured units than we have encountered so far. We have almost exhausted the supplies allocated for the wave in only a week of fighting."

"We were aware that we would be reaching better defended worlds soon. And if their numbers are larger than previously, you set the cutdown for bidding at two Clusters for each of them – how many of the worlds we have taken so far have required so many of our warriors?"

"The commanders on Dell, Parakoila and Baker 3 have both requested and been granted permission to bring in forces equal to more conservative bids. On Zoetermeer, I had to overrule the bidding and send in the Gyrfalcon Solahma Cluster under my authority as Khan to stabilise our position. Replacing the casualties will effectively mean stripping the Gyrfalcon's Eyrie to the point of disbanding it – we will need the equipment anyway."

Crichell slammed one fist against the desk. "You mean all four worlds have yet to fall, quiaff?"

"Aff." Malthus scowled. "Obviously, it now will not be feasible to launch follow-up attacks on the worlds beyond them for now. I have cancelled the rest of the Fifth Wave targets except for Vulcan. Taking those worlds can pass for continued progress and we can explain it as allowing our supply convoys to catch up."

"And who will take Vulcan if all three of our Galaxies are tied down fighting for the initial targets?"

"I have ordered a Cluster detached from each Galaxy and I will command them myself." The saKhan folded his arms. "It is likely that Vulcan is fortified as well as the others but this time we will be aware of it before we land."

"You had better succeed. The ilKhan has ordered a Grand Council meeting before the end of the year and if our Clan is humiliated in front of the other Khans I doubt that the Clan Council will be forgiving."

Pershaw shook his head, light glittering off the lens that replaced one eye. "Neither Khan Kerensky nor Khan Osis will be in position to scorn our battles, Khan Crichell."

"The Wolves are striking at five worlds in this wave when we are in danger of failing to take four, quineg."

"As Khan Malthus has discovered, striking at a world is not the same as taking it. It appears that all of Clan Wolf and Clan Jade Falcon's initial targets for the fifth wave of attacks are part of the same defensive line." Pershaw's lips thinned. "The Wolves have overreached themselves and Khan Radick has paid the price for his failure. My sources have not reported the full extent of their casualties but none of their targets are close to falling. As such, not only will Ulric Kerensky not dare use Khan Malthus' difficulties against us, he will be forced to support us or share whatever censure we might face from the other Khans."

Timur Malthus' eyes blazed as he realised from the phrasing that responsibility for the failures would be vested in him. "I have reported my intentions, Khan Crichell. The preparations for seizing Vulcan in our talons demand my attention so I will leave you to political matters."

Crichell nodded and cancelled the connection, turning to Pershaw. "As unnatural as it seems, for once we may need to ally ourselves with Ulric Kerensky. See if you can find out how he intends to explain this to the Grand Council so that we may position ourselves accordingly."

"The Crusaders among the Wolves are being unusually reticent. It seems likely that Khan Radick will be carrying much of the blame since he is unable to defend himself and as he was an outspoken Crusader his former allies may be caught in the stigma."

"Conal Ward is far too devious to allow Ulric the opportunity to discredit him. He will have a stratagem in mind." The senior Jade Falcon Khan shook his head. "And you mentioned Khan Osis earlier. What news of the Smoke Jaguars?"

Pershaw seemed to sneer. "They have compounded their failure to control Turtle Bay by now failing to take the world of Albiero in the last wave of attacks. They have had to draw on their reserves to launch a second Trial of Possession but that is far from the greatest embarrassment for Lincoln Osis."

"Do not make me pry this out of you, Galaxy Commander."

"Khan Osis has executed Galaxy Commander Dieter Osis for handing over a warship to the Combine."

"...this is a joke, quiaff?" Crichell demanded.

"Neg. The Combine commander demanded an equivalent prize to Albiero if he was victorious and they agreed upon the Smoke Jaguar warship Iowa. It is possible that it will still be over Albiero to be recaptured when the Smoke Jaguars arrive but it seems unlikely that the Combine will be so careless."

.o0o.

 **Asgard, Tharkad**

 **Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **15 September 3050**

Like the equivalent facility on New Avalon, the Lyran Commonwealth State Command's headquarters was buried deep under a mountain where it was proof against even nuclear bombardment. First established when the Lyran capital was moved from Arcturus, the defences had been upgraded in the last few years to account for the possibility of an Elemental assault.

Displays took up four walls of the hexagonal chamber at the heart of the complex and bank after bank of operators updated them to provide whatever details might be needed by the commanders at the centre.

Right now, each wall was split into two panels – one panel for each of the eight worlds hit so far by the fifth wave of Clan attacks.

"We weren't able to stop the landings on any of the worlds but we've pinned them down since then," Nondi Steiner informed him, gesturing to the data being displayed. "Kandis is the only place we're still losing ground – we lost almost an entire combat command of the Eleventh Federated Commonwealth RCT when the Wolves managed to pincer them between two clusters. The Crucis Lancers contained the situation but they took significant losses of their own."

"Can we move in reinforcements?" asked Ardan.

"The nearest world with uncommitted regiments is Tamar itself and Duke Kelswa would be displeased if we pulled troops off his capital." The other Marshal scanned the displays and then touched her console. Operators replaced part of the display with a star chart annotated with unit deployments and available jumpships. "Sevren hasn't been attacked and we could have Combat Command Gamma of the Tenth Deneb Light Cavalry on Kandis in perhaps ten days."

"It's an option." He saw her half-turn. "I'm not going to micromanage you, Marshal Steiner. I have no objection to the redeployment but if you think it's too much of a risk then I'll back you whichever decision you make."

"I've given advance notice to them, pending the next report from Minister Allard's agents in the occupation zones. That will be two to four days. The situation on Kandis isn't ideal but unless reserves are thrown in, they Wolves are unlikely to push us off world in the next two weeks."

Ardan nodded.

"The supply situation isn't quite at the worst case scenario but we're still well above the rate of replenishment for our forward stockpiles."

"You have first priority," he promised. "Defiance is working three shifts on the problem and we should be able to start moving shipments through the Terran Corridor by the end of the year."

Nondi nodded. "I wasn't sure about that when it was first proposed but now I'm glad the Archon pushed that through."

Defiance Industries, backed by a massive loan from the Federated Commonwealth treasury, had begun construction of a new set of factories deep inside the Crucis March. Begun only the previous year, when competed the factories would almost double the Federated Commonwealth's production of consumables such as ammunition and replacement armour for Ausf S units. Almost as much of the budget was being spent on security for the sites as was being spent to bring the factories online as fast as possible. When completed, the new Defiance sites would be almost as secure as their legendarily fortified facilities on Hesperus II.

"I admit, it would be preferable in some ways to have the site be closer to the frontlines – the shipments have to travel almost as far as the Clans have to bring their own supplies."

"The denser traffic should cut the time down." Nondi reminded him. "And in the worst case, having the factories out of the Clans reach is more important. The last thing we'd want is for them to capture a site like that. It would drastically simplify their logistics and that's their biggest weakness."

"Speaking of factories that might fall into their hands..."

"Trellshire Heavy Industries are taking apart their tooling as they complete their current production run of heavy tanks. The first shipments will be going out early next month. It means no Demolishers or Sturmfeurs for the AFFC after these though – setting up the new assembly plant will take longer than taking the old one down."

"That doesn't surprise me. At least they're only going to Outreach. It's not as far as the Crucis March. How about Olivetti?"

"The Warhammer line is being broken down but their tank factory has a bad case of 'just one more'. To be fair, are faster to build than eighty ton heavy tanks. I don't think they'll seriously start packing away their facilities until the Clans are inbound on Sudeten."

"And they'll throw a fit if we try pushing them?"

"The trouble they could make with the Estates General, making claims of defeatism and failure to defend Sudeten might outweigh the benefit of having the tanks."

Ardan frowned and leant on the rail overlooking the operators. "If they lose the production lines, they'll be out of business won't they? Maybe we can get their creditors to put pressure on them for us – let them know that the Federated Commonwealth won't guarantee any of Olivetti's liabilities if they declare bankruptcy."

"I can't do that without Melissa's authorisation."

The Marshal of the Armies of the Federated Commonwealth straightened. "You can do so on my authority, Marshal. The Archon and the First Prince both gave me plenipotentiary authority while they're on New Avalon. If it backfires I'll be more than happy to take the blame and resign. But until it does, I've been given this job and I'll be damned if I'll let Olivetti cost us one life more defending their site than we need to."

Nondi nodded and called over one of her officers to dictate the necessary orders.

While that was going on, Ardan took over the console and had the operators bring up a map of the entire invasion zone. Information on the situation inside the Free Rasalhague Republic and Draconis Combine remained somewhat speculative but somehow, Justin Allard's agents managed to provide enough information that it was merely out of date and rarely outright wrong.

"No more news of Albiero?" he asked, noting that the prefecture capital was still blazing the Combine's crimson despite being confirmed as a Smoke Jaguar target for the fourth wave of attacks.

One of the operators ran a search. "One new hit, sir. Not about the planet – a jumpship dock at Chatham has been ordered to clear their schedule for a service and refit of DCS Albiero."

"Doesn't ring a bell."

The operator checked again. "No other hits for that ship name since the Second Succession War," he reported.

"I wonder what that's about." Ardan shrugged and turned his attention to the collapsing Kungsarme positions. If the jumpship Albiero was important, no doubt Justin would send him documentation in his own good time.


	6. Book 2, Chapter 5

Book Two

 _Three things never anger, or you will not live for long:_

 _A wolf with cubs, a man with power, and a woman's sense of wrong._

\- Threes, Mercedes Lackey

.o0o.

Chapter Five

 **Reyhavik, Rasalhague**

 **Wolf Occupation Zone**

 **15 September 3050**

Ulric Kerensky was about to leave his office after another day's work had run on long into the evening when a chime indicated an incoming transmission. "Can it wait?" he asked the young warrior acting as his aide.

She checked the source of the message and looked up. "It is a request for a real-time HPG contact with our enclave upon Strana Mechty."

"Who?"

"Cyrilla Ward."

Ulric slumped back into the chair. "Put her through and then fetch me a beer," he ordered. "Get yourself something as well. After a day like this fatigue is more likely to affect your judgement than one small drink."

The holodisplay lit up with the white-haired head of the Wards. "Have I caught you at a bad time, Ulric?"

"None of us are getting any younger, Cyrilla." She'd served as junior Khan but semi-retired to focus on managing the business of her Bloodhouse rather than contend for the Khanship with younger warriors – like Ulric himself.

She didn't smile. "I bear bad news. Conal has decided how far he's willing to take the matter of the Dragoons."

"Further than you like, I take it?"

"He's drawing up a petition to the Grand Council. Two petitions, rather, on the grounds of treason against the Clans as a whole."

Ulric rubbed his beard. "He has to know the Clan Council would never support that. It would be far too easy for our enemies to try to extend actions against Clan Wolf as a whole."

"I know that and you know that. Whether Conal knows that or is simply too arrogant to consider it I am no longer sure."

There was a pop as the aide removed the cap from one of the bottles in her hand and she offered it to Ulric before opening her own. He took a long sip and then checked the label appreciatively. "Alright Cyrilla, I am braced for the worst."

"Conal is calling for the reaving of Natasha Kerensky's bloodright and the annihilation of all descendants of the Wolf Dragoons."

The aide choked on her ill-timed sip from her own beer. Ulric glanced her and then grimaced. Ranna was a third generation descendant of Natasha Kerensky herself. If such a measure passed... "And he did not even discuss this with you, Cyrilla?"

The old woman's eyes flashed. "He did not. If the Grand Council agrees to the Reaving of a Kerensky bloodright then as petitioner, Conal's own Bloodhouse will face a Trial of Reaving for the next bloodright to fall vacant. If I was closer I would challenge that fool and kill him for the presumption."

"No one has ever reaved or even retired a bloodright of House Kerensky – either my own house or our brotherhouse descended of Andery Kerensky. I am not sure how the Grand Council would vote - it could be close." Ulric glanced over at Ranna. "The other measure might have more support – the Jade Falcons and Smoke Jaguars are frothing that we are closer to reaching Terra than they are and the Ghost Bears would see it as a chance to take the lead. They would all be delighted to see us purging our own touman."

"Either measure is trouble we do not need. Both together would be a political disaster. I cannot see how Conal expects to prosper by making this petition but if they pass it is certain that the Clan Council will remove you as Khan."

"Another bonus in the eyes of many." The Khan drained the beer, using the time to think. "Ranna, make me a list of all Wolf warriors with the invasion force who are descended from members of the Wolf Dragoons. Cyrilla, I may need to speak to whoever gave you this information. It is possible Conal is trying to mislead us."

She shook her head. "If he was going to do so, he would choose a far more subtle agent. Vlad was quite torn by the matter. He would be delighted if only you were to fall, Ulric. But he is a Wolf before he is a Crusader."

"Conal's own aide." Ulric rubbed his chin. "Good. I can work with that. Thank you for your information, Cyrilla."

.o0o.

 **Forbidden City, Sian**

 **Capellan Confederation**

 **15 September 3050**

The throne room of the Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation was dark stone and wood, covered with glorious green silks and trimmed in gold. The throne itself was on a many-stepped dais and Candace looked down on the assembled leaders of her realm.

Most were uncertain of where they stood with her, she suspected. On the one hand, she had removed her sister sycophants with all the sharpness of the sword of Liao. On the other, she had struck down the onerous decrees used by Romano to force them into compliance with her iron grip on all affairs of state – with a few exceptions.

Even those had been agreed with both the surviving Prefectorate and the House of Scions. The first decree struck down had been Candace's dismissal as Prefect of St Ives Commonality and since that appointment was technically at the House's discretion it legitimised her right to succeed Romano as Chancellor for the law specified that the Chancellor was chosen from among the Prefects. Certainly no Chancellor in centuries had been chosen outside of House Liao, but the form of the law was almost as important – more sometimes – than the reality.

And around the walls of the throne room were armed guards, not the Death Commandos of the past but infantrymen of House Imarra. Candace's iron fist within the velvet glove.

"Sun-Tzu Liao, come forward."

There was a stir as Sun-Tzu entered the room. No one had seen either of Romano's children since Candace took power. Rumours had suggested any number of fates for them.

Now he walked forwards, clearly unrestrained and in good health and dropped to one knee before the dais. "Chancellor."

"Make your report, Ambassador."

There was another stir as that title sank in. He ignored it though. "I have with me a proposed treaty that has been approved and agreed with First Prince Hanse Davion of the Federated Suns and Archon Melissa Steiner of the Lyran Commonwealth. If it meets with your approval, they have provided me with written agreement to sign the treaty into the laws of their two realms and of the Federated Commonwealth immediately upon receipt of your consent."

Candace nodded. "Is this treaty in line with the draft that you most recently communicated to me?"

"It is, your excellency. May I be permitted to summarise the matter for the benefit of the court."

She gestured for him to continue and Sun-Tzu turned, his posture shifting from supplicant to that of a minister speaking for the throne.

"Firstly, the treaty concludes the Fourth Succession War, recognising the border between the Federated Suns and Capellan Confederation as it currently stands, including previous worlds ceded to the St Ives Compact, with the exceptions of Monhegan, Manapire, Velhas, Verlo and Ziliang, which worlds are further ceded by the Federated Suns to the Capellan Confederation. All other claims, whether territorial or monetary between our two realms are hereby voided."

"Secondly, the treaty confirms the transfer of the titles of Duchess of Liao and putative First Lord of the Star League, currently held by Chancellor Candace Liao, to her daughter Kuan-Yin Liao and any descendants she may have in the future."

"Thirdly, the treaty renders the Capellan Confederation a signatory to the Federated Commonwealth alliance, in the specific union of our foreign and military policies to those of the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth and in the right of equal representation upon the general council (or whatsoever name the body detailed shall eventually receive) of the Federated Commonwealth upon its being convened, that to take place no later than the last day of 3055."

The throne room was dead silent.

"Fourthly, the treaty declares that upon the end of Candace Liao's term of office as Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation that the Capellan Confederation shall thereafter be incorporated into the Federated Commonwealth as the Confederation March or such alternative name as may be agreed at the time. The post of Minister of the Confederation March shall be subject to appointment by the Confederation Prefectorate and the post of Field Marshal of the Confederation March shall be subject to approval by the Confederation House of Scions. In the interim of appointment of suitable officials, the post of pro-tem Minister and Field Marshal shall be held by the Duke or Duchess of St Ives or their regents."

Candace nodded. "Ambassador, these terms are in general acceptable to me. Full copies of the treaty shall be provided to all members of the House of Scions and Prefectorate for debate prior to my final decision."

Sun-Tzu bowed deeply to his aunt and then stepped into the crowd which parted around him, even the boldest courtier unsure of how to react to the bearer of this extraordinary news.

"My people." The Chancellor rose to her feet. "For too long, we have remained mired in the past. In not only the Fourth Succession War, whose conclusion my sister was unwilling to acknowledge but also in the fruitless pursuit of the empty throne on Terra. More than two centuries ago, Ilsa Liao offered that empty office to a Davion in return for peace and today it costs us no more to surrender that claim for more concrete benefits. My goal, my obligation as the Chancellor of the Confederation, is to see the brightest future for our people. That future is not as a conquest to House Davion or as House Liao. It is as their valued ally and equal within a wealthy and powerful Federated Commonwealth."

"In detail, I will consider amendments to the proposed treaty that my nephew has brought us. In principle, this is my policy."

She gestured to the doors. "Kuan-Yin Liao, Victor Steiner come forward."

There was a shrill cry and a woman near the back of the court collapsed. One of the guards moved forward and checked her, then muttered a report into his helmet's comms. Ion Rush, the Master of House Imarra, moved out into the aisle between the throne and the doors. "Please continue, Lady Kuan-Yin, Lord Victor. You need not be concerned by minor hysterics."

The young couple both wore Capellan style clothes – formal robes for Kuan-Yin and a business suit with a mandarin collar for Victor. He'd reluctantly agreed that his AFFC uniform would be too provocative right now.

"Kuan-Yin, you have requested this audience as a daughter of House Liao. What business do you bring before me?"

"Lady Chancellor, I am here to inform you of my intention – when I am of age next year - to take this man as my husband."

Any potential outcry was silenced as the Imarra soldiers snapped to attention, stamping their feet.

Candace ignored them completely. "My daughter, are you sure that this man is worthy of you?"

"My mother, he is of a high and noble ancestry. He is a warrior and a comrade in arms to my brother. Though he chafes at serving his people here while war threatens them elsewhere, he has never been less than courteous and respectful."

"And you, Victor Steiner. Do you accede to my daughter's intentions?"

Victor bowed deeply to the Chancellor. "My lady, your daughter's wishes in this matter are my own."

If even a tenth of the people in the room took those words at face value then Candace would be surprised. Still, they were at least respectful of each other – and fond. There were worse starts for a marriage. (She still shuddered at some of the things she'd learned about her sister's marriage to the late Tsen Sheng).

"Very well, my daughter. You have my permission, upon coming of age, to enter into marriage with Victor Steiner."

Kuan-Yin bowed her head politely. "With my apologies for the presumption," she went off-script. "My intended's name is Victor Steiner-Davion. I will wed him not despite his paternity, but in full acceptance of it."

.o0o.

 **Reyhavik, Rasalhague**

 **Wolf Occupation Zone**

 **19 September 3050**

"The death of Garth Radick cannot be laid upon the head of Ulric Kerensky."

If the leader of the Warden faction could have any less likely champion in the Clan Council then it was Conal Ward. Vlad, seated next to the Delta Galaxy Commander as his aide, found it hard to keep his face straight at the two-faced rhetoric from his mentor.

"Our saKhan was slain by Natasha Kerensky – transmissions from the spheroid public distribution confirm this – and from his final transmissions, it is clear that Garth Radick fell prey to an ambush no less diabolical than that which ended the life of the Founder's brother Andery. Yet Natasha Kerensky left the Clans almost half a century ago. She is of another generation and Ulric has never met her."

Conal spread his hands. "Natasha Kerensky is a serious matter, but she is not the matter we must address today. The ilKhan has summoned the Grand Council and we must elect a new Khan to represent. This is the priority."

Anton Fetladral rose to his feet. "It is rare that I agree with Conal Ward. We can – we will - discuss avenging Garth Radick later. Today we must elect a new leader. I nominate Cyrilla Ward for the position of saKhan. She has experience of the role and we would benefit from having a Khan in the Home Worlds where she can organise the mobilisation of additional resources for our operations here."

Vlad hid a smile as Conal twitched. Many of the more conservative bloodnamed Clan Warriors would be cautious about offering support to someone who stood against his own Bloodhouse leader.

"Ulric Kerensky has led us ably through the Invasion so far as we have swept all before us. We may rely upon him to continue to do so if we only free his hands from administrative matters to do so. This is no time to appoint an inexperienced Khan who will have to grow into the role."

Marielle Radick, another staunch Crusader, burst to her feet. "Cyrilla Ward is sibkin to Natasha Kerensky! We cannot appoint someone so close to the traitor as our Khan!"

You should not have threatened Ranna, Vlad thought as he saw Conal lean forwards as if to stand only to remain glued to his chair. Marielle is correct about the bonds between sibkin – they are what tie our pack together. I might have to kill Ranna or Evantha or Carew myself if they continue to cling to Ulric's flank, but I will never allow you to feed them to the other Clans.

"I nominate Star Colonel Marcos Radick as our new saKhan," Marielle continued. "His command of the 37th Striker Cluster has shown us his skill and decisiveness. As much as we all respect Cyrilla Ward, the greatest trial of the Clans is here in the Inner Sphere. This is no moment to elect a Khan who is unable – even through no personal fault – to lead us in battle."

"Marcos Radick is not here to speak on his own behalf." The 37th Strikers were part of Conal's Delta Galaxy and he had bid them for battle on Radstadt. "Marielle can advocate him strongly, but absence weakens his position," warned Vlad under his breath.

Conal nodded sharply. "Still, he is a good candidate." Ever adaptable, he was counting votes already to try to guess if the chances of electing the Star Colonel would be better than pressing his own nomination.

"I must decline nomination." Cyrilla Ward's hologram was grim. "It is time to bring forward new talent within our Clan. Instead I commend to the Clan Council Star Colonel John Ward of the 11th Wolf Guards."

There was a gasp from Conal. John Ward was not only another of his subordinates and a staunch Warden, he had been tubed with genetic material from Conal. His own gene-son, nominated by his Bloodhouse leader… that killed any chance of Conal's candidacy: he had been passed over publically.

"Shall we nominate Charles Dinour so that all three of Delta Galaxy's Star Colonels can stand as candidates?" offered Erik Kerensky. Although a gene-sibling to Ulric Kerensky and a close friend, the two men were diametrically opposed in politics and appearance.

"Charles Dinour could be an effective saKhan." Heads jerked back towards Ulric Kerensky as he entered the conversation. The Khan nodded thoughtfully. "Yes Erik, I think you have made an excellent nomination. He was inexperienced when we entered the Inner Sphere but his Fourth Strikers have performed well and he is on excellent terms with the Goliath Scorpions so electing him would reassure our allies on the Grand Council that we will not forget them while we are fighting in the Inner Sphere."

Evantha Fetladral rose. "Three candidates is enough, surely. Let us cast our votes."

"At least she did not put Anton Fetladral forward," Vlad offered in consolation to Conal.

Conal shot him a betrayed look.

"We will have a five minute recess so that the Council may consider how to cast their votes," the Loremaster announced.

"Ward and Dinour are both Wardens, they are going to split those votes. Concentrate our votes on Radick and he has a good chance of being elected."

The older man nodded agreement. "Good thinking." He started typing instructions into his comm, directing messages to his allies within the Council.

Vlad sat back and watched as the Council members conferred either electronically or with those in neighbouring seats. Activating his own comms, he checked his messages and gave the appearance of contacting his own contacts within the Clan Council.

The minutes ticked away and Vlad watched Conal put his comm away as the Loremaster stood. He adjusted his own comm one last time before closing it down. "We will now -"

Ulric Kerensky stood sharply and walked to the centre of the chamber. "I must interrupt these proceedings," he said gravely.

"What is he doing?" hissed Conal.

"The name of Marcos Radick is removed from nomination," the Khan announced. "Perhaps Galaxy Commander Conal Ward would like to inform us all of why he did not find it appropriate to advise us that his subordinate was killed in action on Radstadt, almost thirty hours ago? Clan Wolf can hardly elect a dead man to be Khan."

"Marcos, dead?"

Ulric directed a frown at the shocked Conal. "We will elect a Khan now, but it is clear that whoever is elected our next concern will to be address the evident incompetence of Delta Galaxy's commander."

Slumping back into his chair, Conal didn't even cast a vote as the election went forward. Only when more than half the votes had been cast could he bring himself to check his comms to try to trace any messages regarding the status of the 37th Strikers.

Vlad could see the moment that he found the messages that had been screened until now. Conal's head tracked around like a gun turret to point at him. "Do you really want the Clan Council going through your personal mail to prove that you were set up?" the younger man asked, keeping his voice low so that only Conal could hear him. "Think what else they might find."

The draft petitions to the Grand Council would be like a grenade thrown into the middle of the Council. If the petitions were presented and approved the Wolves would have little choice but to accept the outcome – and perhaps even admire his gall. But caught in the act and he'd be turned upon as a traitor to the Clan.

In the middle of the chamber, the votes were tallied. "Charles Dinour is approved as our new saKhan," Ulric announced. "Along with his election, I propose that we should also appoint him commander of Delta Galaxy which is clearly in need of strong leadership rather than an incumbent more interested in fighting political battles."

Vlad rose from his chair and walked around the chamber. There was nothing more to gain by sitting next someone whose star had fallen.

"I move that the appointment of Khan Dinour be by acclaim!" Conal shouted.

Vlad turned in time to see the older man vault over his desk and stalk after him.

"I cannot disclaim responsibility for appointing an incompetent as my aide, but I can prevent him from undermining my successor." He jabbed a finger towards Vlad. "I challenge you to a Trial of Grievance."

"You are out of order."

Vlad turned to Evantha and shook his head before looking back at his former mentor. "I will not take responsibility for your errors, Conal Ward. I accept your challenge. Let the Council set the terms."

"I will not expend valuable resources on this quarrel." Ulric looked over towards Marielle Radick. "Nor will it serve to let this matter fester. I propose immediate and unaugmented combat between the two warriors. Do I hear any objections?"

"Neg." Marielle rose to her feet. "I offer myself as arbiter."

"As the root of this matter lies with the death of one of your House's leaders, I am in agreement."

She entered the floor at the centre of the chamber and gestured for Vlad to move back to one side and Conal the other. "Both of you discard any weapons you may be carrying. Also remove your boots.

Vlad and Conal removed honour daggers from their belts and kicked off their boots. Marielle stood between them and raised her hand. "When I give the signal, the trial will begin. Let this matter be settled so that the Clan may move forward as one pack."

She lowered her hand and then had to jump back as the two MechWarriors lunged at each other. Vlad ducked his head, almost dodging a kick that grazed the side of his temple.

He shook it off, caught Conal's arm and twisted, snapping the older man's forearm.

A leg sweep put Vlad on the floor and Conal came down with the elbow of his broken arm spearing for his betrayer's throat.

Ah, Conal. You have all the right instincts, but not enough wit to use them.

Vlad twisted to one side and when Conal's arm hit the floor the man couldn't help but flinch. The opening let Vlad drive his knee up and into Conal's groin, then twist and fling the deposed Galaxy Commander to the floor.

Pairing his fists, the younger warrior hammered down on Conal's face, breaking his nose and bouncing his skull off the marble floor of the Riksdag chamber. Seeing his prey was stunned, Vlad seized him by shoulder and neck.

There was an audible crack as Conal Ward's neck snapped.

.o0o.

 **ComStar Internal Document**

 **Personal Communication – Precentor Martial A. Focht to Primus M. Waterly**

 **Classified – Eyes Only – Primus**

Blake's Blessing upon you Primus.

I enclose the following documentation obtained from Clan Wolf regarding AFFC equipment salvaged during the ongoing fighting on Stanzach.

J. Edgar (Ausf S) Light Hover Tank

Mass: 25 tons

Motive Type: Hovercraft

Production Year: 3045

Power Plant: Leenex 145 Fusion Engine

Cruise Speed: 118.8 km/h

Flanking Speed: 183.6 km/h

Armor: Sudeten Special Ferro-Fibrous

Armament:

\- 1 Defiance MkII ER Medium Laser

\- 2 Hovertec S2M Streak SRM-2s

\- 1 Achernar Ordnance TAG

Manufacturer: Olivetti Weaponry

\- Primary Factory: Sudeten

Communications System: Alphard Original Two

Targeting and Tracking System: RCA Instatrac Mk. II

Overview

The light hover tank is on record as having been developed in the early twenty-eighth century by Alphard Trading Corporation. The design was not purchased by the SLDF, however it was adopted by the Taurian Concordat who licensed it for production through Pinard Protectorates Ltd. tanks were employed against the SLDF during the Periphery Uprising. The Lyran Commonwealth construct their more advanced model on Sudeten in the Tamar March, production dating back to at least the mid-3040s. _{Olivetti Weaponry put a copy of the original J. Edgar into production on Sudeten in 3006, something the Clans were naturally unaware of. Litigation regarding Olivetti's failure to obtain a license from ATC remains ongoing as of my last information. - Focht}_

Capabilities

Equipped with a fusion reactor – something relatively unusual for Inner Sphere combat vehicles – the J. Edgar has a respectable ground speed and over open terrain it has proven able to outrun most OmniMechs and even some helicopters. The endurance provided by the reactor simplifies logistics and renders the design suitable for extended reconnaissance and raiding operations.

Olivetti Weaponry have replaced the original Diverse Optics Type 2 medium laser with an extended range weapon equivalent to a General Systems ER Medium Laser, which is the basis for the mid-weight extended-range lasers used by all of the Clans _{In many respects the weapon compares more closely in performance to our own large lasers - Focht}_. This is well within the cooling capacity of the original coolant system. Similarly the Harvester SRM launcher has been replaced by Streak technology launchers. Unlike SLDF Streak missile launchers, these use the lightweight materials adopted in the 29th century by Clan weapon designers.

The original J. Edgar hover tank was fitted with six point five tons of conventional armour plating. This has been replaced with a comparable thickness of ferro-fibrous protection, saving almost 17% of the armour tonnage. This has permitted the addition of a target acquisition system in the nose of the tank. It must be stressed that these alterations have no significant effect on the chassis of the tank. As such, it is entirely possible that older J. Edgar tanks in AFFC service can easily be refitted to the same capabilities.

Deployment

This update of the J. Edgar has been observed as in use by Clan Wolf and Clan Jade Falcon with Regimental Combat Teams of the Federated Commonwealth corps and Donegal Guards. They are usually deployed in squadrons of twelve or sixteen, engaging in high speed attack runs where their turrets allow them to effectively engage a target both before and after passing it. Pack tactics similar to those employed by Clan Ice Hellion make these attacks highly dangerous to isolated OmniMechs or to Elementals caught in the open. The target acquisition system, having been located in the turret is usually only a threat when the hover tanks are incoming, however, crews have been known to use less sophisticated means to call in high-explosive warhead artillery on pursuers.

Clan Smoke Jaguar reported that the original version is in use by some elements of the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery, as well as more improvisational variations in the weapons payload or engine. It is unknown at this time if the Taurian Concordat still make use of the J. Edgar. _{They do, as do the ComGuards. – Focht}_.

.o0o.

 **CSJS Streaking Mist, Kempten System**

 **Ghost Bear Occupation Zone**

 **11 October 3050**

Bjorn Jorgenssen and Aletha Kabrinski, the two newly appointed Khans of Clan Ghost Bear, were quietly smug that it was their Clan that was closest to Terra at this point.

Ulric felt it might be less to do with any excellence by the Ghost Bears and more to do with the lack of any major resistance so far and the relatively narrow invasion corridor. The sixth wave of attacks, due to begin next month, would have the Smoke Jaguars and the Ghost Bears each striking at regional capitals of the Draconis Combine. Overall, it seemed likely that resistance would be quite heavy on Pesht and Alshain.

"How are your warriors finding Tamar?" Jorgenssen asked pleasantly.

"I think I can safely say it will be more of a challenge than Rasalhague." Ulric waved Charles Dinour forwards. "Have you met our new Khan? The invasion appears to taking its toll upon our leaders."

Jorgenssen offered his hand to Dinour. "It is an honour," he said, as if the exchange of jibes hadn't taken place. "I think much of the invasion has not gone as planned. Perhaps the ilKhan will present a new plan for us."

"Perhaps."

"Breen and Zalman are in good spirits." Dinour nodded over to where the two Steel Vipers sat deep in conversation. "Activating a reserve clan would be a step in the right direction, even if it was just to bolster garrisons."

"I doubt the Vipers would be pleased to be treated as if their forces were secondline forces." Kabrinski straightened slightly as Natalie Breen looked up for a moment. "I doubt sharing an invasion corridor with them would be comfortable. Fortunately we are unlikely to find out first hand."

"If the Steel Vipers wish to join us in fighting through the Federated Commonwealth's defensive line, they will be entirely welcome to do so. I doubt they would find it a comfortable experience though."

The junior Wolf Khan nodded in agreement with Ulric. "It surprises me that they did not establish defences of this calibre closer to the Periphery."

Kabrinski gave Jorgenssen a thoughtful look. "Our attack on Courcheval captured a DCMS command post largely intact," she admitted. "We found a significant quantity of data about the Clans, apparently provided by the Federated Commonwealth."

"It appears that the Wolf Dragoons were compromised and have entered the service of the Federated Commonwealth."

The Ghost Bear Khans recoiled and Ulric smirked slightly at their expressions. "It takes a Wolf to fight a Wolf, quineg? I am flattered that Davion has deployed the Dragoons only against our own invasion corridor so far."

"The Dragoons could lead the Inner Sphere back to the Home Worlds then!"

"It's unclear how much navigational data they retain." Dinour shrugged at their looks. "My gene-sire Vlad Dinour helped to train the Dragoons originally. I pay attention to my heritage. If they have our location then they could have led an army there at any time in the last twenty years."

The door opened to admit the ilKhan and the assembled Khans moved to take their seats, holoprojectors filling the gaps in their ranks.

Leo Showers scanned the room before speaking. "An ancient war leader was quoted once by the Great Father, counselling that the first victim of war is the plan for battle. The recent reports from some of you make it clear that our initial plan for the invasion, while it has led to the fall of scores of worlds and carried us deep into the Inner Sphere, has reached the extent of its usefulness."

"The Inner Sphere has begun to redeploy their forces to halt us, as demonstrated by the increasingly heavy resistance that some of our forces have encountered. There have also been some unfortunate and shameful displays of overconfidence. I will not spare my own Clan in this. By now you all will have heard of the loss of one of our warships over the planet of Albiero. Khan Osis was absolutely correct to execute Dieter Osis for his poor bargaining and his progeny have been removed from our breeding programme."

"We have heard of your first attempt on Albiero." Sevren Leroux spoke firmly. "But not of your second."

"Albiero is in my Clan's possession," Lincoln Osis rumbled. "Hohiro Kurita escaped us once more – he seems to have great talent for fleeing us. My Clan now hold worlds within the central regions of the Draconis Combine and we are gathering our strength to pounce at Pesht. Once that is within our claws, we shall be only a few short jumps from Luthien."

The ilKhan leant forwards. "Since Lincoln Osis has summarized his Clan's position, let all the Invading Clans report upon their status and how they intend to continue the Invasion. Khan Crichell, how fly the Jade Falcons?"

"As described in our earlier reports, the Federated Commonwealth have fortified a number of worlds in our path and garrisoned them with multiple regiments. I believe Clan Wolf may have encountered similar circumstances. My saKhan, Timur Malthus, has committed our reserves to taking these worlds. Many glorious victories have been reported by our warriors yet I have yet to hear that one of these five worlds has been secured for our Clan. I can blame only their leadership for this."

Timur Malthus, present once again only by holo-display, reared up in outrage but before he could speak, Crichell coursed on. "As one of their leaders, it is my responsibility to address these facts. Long ago, in the liberation of the Pentagon Worlds, when the campaigns on Dagda where slowed by heavy losses, the Founder called on Clans from other worlds to join the fighting. I request the same of our current ilKhan. Rather than see the invasion deadlocked, it is time to call on the first of our reserve Clans."

"The Steel Vipers stand ready," Natalie Breen asserted immediately. "We require only a staging ground in your corridor."

"Wait!" Clan Coyote's senior Khan stood. "There has been no vote on this matter."

"No vote is required," asserted Showers. "The invasion plan, including the activation of reserve forces as required has already been approved by the Council. As your leader the decision is mine and mine alone." He glared at Robin Steele until she collapsed back into her chair. "And as your leader I say aye. Khan Breen, you may bid forces against Clan Jade Falcon for possession of one of the worlds they captured in the fourth wave to use as your staging ground."

"Let them make their own conquests from the Inner Sphere," shouted Malthus.

"You may defend the world yourself, Timur." Crichell turned to his saKhan. "If you triumph, then the Steel Vipers will be granted the right only to stage from the world and you will have redeemed yourself in the eyes of the Clan Council. If you fail, then the world will be theirs and Clan Jade Falcon will find a new saKhan!"

"Seyla!" murmured Breen. "Bargained well and done, Khan Crichell. I shall contact you tomorrow with our choice of world."

Malthus' abruptly shut off his holoprojector, vanishing from the Council Chambers.

"Khan Kerensky." Showers shifted his gaze. "Have you also encountered these fortress worlds?"

"We have and there has indeed been fierce fighting there. The Federated Commonwealth has sent their best to face us. As you yourself declared, ilKhan, this is the time to use a new strategy. Rather than press the attack on these defences, we have delayed our attack on Tamar and will use our reserves to pin down the regiments on these worlds and to permit younger, less experienced warriors a taste of battle against the Inner Sphere."

"Meanwhile, Khan Dinour and I will bypass these worlds and striker deeper into the Inner Sphere. Either the Federated Commonwealth will withdraw the units to face us or they will be cut off and their logistics will eventually fail them. Either way, the worlds will fall to Clan Wolf."

Natalie Breen's lips curled back in what Ulric concluded with some distaste was admiration and perhaps even desire. "A masterful strategy," she congratulated him.

On the Jade Falcon bench, Crichell's eyes narrowed in concern.

"That brings us to Clan Ghost Bear, who are our hosts here at the spear point of the Invasion."

"Thank you, ilKhan." Jorgenssen stood. "Before I summarize our position, I have a question for Khan Kerensky."

Ulric nodded. He wouldn't have fed Bjorn Jorgenssen the information if he didn't want it to be used in the Council. It would be far more plausible provided by a rival of his than if he presented it himself.

"You said that the Federated Commonwealth sent their best to face you – by that do you mean regular AFFC regiments, or the Wolf Dragoons?"

"There may no longer be a difference. Hanse Davion has sent elements of the Davion Brigade of Guards to fight on Radstadt and Melissa Steiner-Davion has dispatched two regiments of her Royal Guards to defend Tamar, but Khan Garth Radick fell in battle facing the Beta Regiment of the Wolf Dragoons."

"Then the Wolf Dragoons, created by Kerlin Ward to be our eyes and ears within the Inner Sphere, have betrayed us."

Charles Dinour laughed out loud. "IlKhan, the Wolf Dragoons were sent to the Inner Sphere more than five decades ago. How many of Khans here had even taken their first Trial of Positions when they departed? Few indeed. How many fewer do you think remain of the Dragoons we once sent here? I have studied records from the Dragoon's own reports and also the records kept by the Inner Sphere of their exploits. The capture of Rasalhague gave us access to the data held by a national military headquarters."

"For a quarter of a century the Wolf Dragoons were the most in demand regiments in the Inner Sphere. Their battles were so legendary that by start the Fourth Succession War – more than a generation after their departure from the Clans – the DCMS felt the necessary numbers to face them in battle were not less than double the Dragoon's strength, and by the final battle not less than quadruple their numbers. Do you imagine such battles were bloodless? By the end of the Battle of Crossing the Wolf Dragoons are reported as having one – and only one – MechWarrior fit for battle in her 'Mech."

"The Wolf Dragoons rebuilt after that day, but they are no longer the warriors we knew. Their ranks were filled out by a new generation, one who knew nothing of the Clans or of our ways, one that was raised entirely in the Inner Sphere. Of all the warriors once part of their roster, we have identified only one – Natasha Kerensky – who is still among their Dragoons."

"It should surprise no one that she has brought her command to face us in battle." Dinour glared up at the ilKhan. "For almost sixty years no one has been able to defeat her. She is a trueborn heir of Kerensky and she has come before the Clans seeking one glorious final battle to secure her legacy. Where else can she find a suitable challenge?"

"But the security of the Home Worlds…"

"We did not return to the Inner Sphere, Khan Steele, to cower away from the armies of the Inner Sphere," Leo Showers declared – conveniently ignoring the minor detail that it was the arrival of an Inner Sphere jumpship over the Smoke Jaguar home world of Huntress, and the implicit possibility of future and hostile contact, which had allowed him to unite the Crusader faction behind him.

"Khan Kerensky, if this aged renegade wishes a death in battle then I will leave it to Clan Wolf to accomplish this. But I remind you that Dieter Osis was killed and his progeny eradicated merely for failure. Clan Wolf would be ill-advised to allow the taint of this Natasha's offspring to survive within your Clan's breeding programme."

"We can police our own gene stock, ilKhan. Khan Dinour will be forming a special unit to handle the matter of Natasha Kerensky's progeny. I trust, Khan Jorgenssen, that you are satisfied with my explanation?"

"Indeed. I assure you, that should Natasha Kerensky be encountered within our invasion corridor, that she will receive the death that she deserves."

"Moving on to our actual status," the junior Ghost Bear Khan broke in impatiently, "We have previously operated with limited supplies, as our consumables have been used up far more rapidly than projections suggested. Larger shipments have been organised and are now beginning to arrive. This will allow us to seize Alshain, and then to fight our way into the densely populated region of space between Rubigen and Baldur."

"You do not expect to need a reserve Clan, I hope?" asked Sarah Weaver sourly.

"Since the remaining reserve Clans have no available forces – something I hope they will be addressing – fortunately not," Kabrinski confirmed.

"We will be moving our Galaxies forwards," confirmed Lucien Carns. "Since the last Grand Council meeting, we have prepared ships and supplies to ensure that Clan Nova Cats' clusters will arrive as soon as possible. If we have the blessings of the Grand Council, I can give the order to begin the shipments before the start of the next Wave."

"Your efficiency is appreciated and I am sure that Clan Diamond Shark will be equally diligent in bringing their forces forwards." Jorgenssen looked around the Council Chamber. "I regret that I feel this is not sufficient. By the time that your Clusters arrive, I feel that further reserves will be called for. I have discussed this matter with some of you already."

Ulric hid a scowl. Widening the invasion further would be far from ideal. "What are you proposing, Khan Jorgenssen?"

"I am requesting terms from those Clans not participating in the invasion, for our Clans to bring our invasion forces up to the levels we proposed in the second round of bidding. This would hold true for all seven of the invading Clans – as Clan Wolf did not bid, you would be free to use forces equal to the largest bid made in the second round."

Robin Steele found some reserve of spirit left from her earlier confrontation with the ilKhan. "You made your beds with your final bids. What concessions can you offer us in exchange for your Clans' poor bidding?"

"It has been somewhat implicit that the worlds occupied here in the Inner Sphere would be uncontested by the Clans not participating in the Inner Sphere. However, these are now Clan Worlds. I see no reason that their enclaves and resources should not be open to Trials of Possession for any Clans." Jorgenssen took his eyes off Steele – a Warden, if a lukewarm one – and instead looked to the Khans of the Ice Hellions, the Star Adders and the Hells Horses. "I propose a measure confirming this to the Grand Council and urge all the Khans of the invading Clans to support it."

"Stravag!" hissed Dinour from beside Ulric.

Simply loosening the terms of the bids as Jorgenssen suggested would almost double the forces available to the invaders, significantly easing their current garrison shortages and making up for casualties taken so far. But with essentially free license to scavenge at the heels of the invaders, none of the other Clans counted among the Crusader faction would want to be left out – and since any worlds they took wouldn't need to be garrisoned by the invaders…

The ilKhan looked almost physically ill at the idea of the other Clans clawing like vultures at the worlds taken by Clan Smoke Jaguar. Then his eyes narrowed. "And I suppose there is no reason that invading Clans could not launch Trials of Possession for personnel and equipment brought into the Inner Sphere by the other Clans, quineg?"

"Neg," confirmed Crichell. "No reason whatsoever. The Founder's laws are perfectly clear on the matter. I would support this measure."

"I would not."

"You may vote as you will, Khan Dinour." Aletha Kabrinski glared at him. "But as Clan Wolf did not bid for a place in the invasion, you have no say in negotiations between those who did."

Ulric shook his head. "Khan Kabrinski is quite correct," he agreed. "However, speaking solely of the proposal being put before the Grand Council, would this also open up the holdings of the Invading Clans in the Home Worlds to trials? That has thus far been blocked in order to prevent us from being distracted but since we can now face challenges here in the Inner Sphere, that logic no longer holds true."

It wasn't ideal, but the threat there might swing a few votes against the measure.

"That is a reasonable point," agreed Jorgenssen firmly. "I believe that it should."

"Perhaps a short recess is in order," proposed Elias Crichell. "Fifteen minutes for Clan Ghost Bear to draw up a formal statement and for us all to consider our position on this matter."

"Agreed." Leo Showers rose from his chair. "Khan Crichell, I wish to discuss your junior Khan's absenting himself from the middle of this council."

"I will be glad to." Crichell held up his hand. "However, I must also speak briefly with Khan Kerensky on the matter of the Federated Commonwealth's deployments. So that I may give you my undivided attention, may I join you outside in a moment?"

Showers purpled. "Very well," he said with threadbare dignity.

Ulric folded his arms. "You are playing with fire there," he warned as he watched the ilKhan stalk away.

The Jade Falcon smiled thinly. "That is politics," he observed. Making sure the other Khans were out of hearing he leant forwards slightly. "We both know where the Federated Commonwealth must have received their most advanced technology. However, it could be argued that the mysterious Helm Data Core could have contained data on the very confidential SLDF weapons development programmes that were taken with our ancestors to the Home Worlds. It is just barely plausible that this could explain the matter."

Dinour frowned. "What are you getting at?"

"No one would believe that you would vote for Jorgenssen's measure. But a Trial of Refusal could draw troops you sorely need from the frontlines. It would be almost as disruptive as a scandal of Natasha Kerensky actively betraying the Clans to the Inner Sphere." Crichell's eyes glittered. "Neither of us need that sort of disruption, Ulric. So let the vote fall where it does. If you win your point, neither I nor any of my allies will offer a Trial of Refusal. But if the vote goes against you…"

"Which you are confident of."

"One can never quite tell, when playing with fire. But yes. If the majority of the Khans support Jorgenssen then let it pass. The ilKhan will be entirely supportive of suggestions that the Federated Commonwealth has independently reduced our technological lead to a razor's edge."

Ulric raised one eyebrow. "He would prefer that to seeking the humiliation of my Clan?"

"Why confuse the issue? The ilKhan is a very busy man and I would not wish to take up more of his time than I must." Crichell tipped his head slightly, "And I should not keep him waiting."

"I despise that man," Dinour observed as he watched the Jade Falcon Khan leave. "Are you going to let him threaten us like that?"

"For now, yes." Ulric cupped his chin. "In the longer term… Perhaps we should make sure Khan Breen is fully informed of potential targets in the Jade Falcon's invasion corridor. She may wish to commit her forces to more profitable objectives than digging the Falcons out of their own hole."

.o0o.

 **East Jinga, Baker 3**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **4 November 3050**

Kommandant Caradoc Trevana reached forward and clinked his water glass off Kai's. "Here's to a well-deserved promotion, Hauptmann."

Kai raised his glass. "Here's to yours."

"Which did you think I meant?" Trevana replied impishly and they both threw back the contents of the glasses – which was clear but certainly not water. "What is this made of again?"

"Fermented potatoes, I'm told."

"It tastes like it." The older man refilled his glass. "Seriously, Kai. If you ever want to throw over this whole ducal heir business and make the AFFC a lifetime career, you'll do well. I wouldn't have recommended you for promotion if I wasn't sure you had what it took."

"I don't really have a choice in the matter." Kai declined the offered refill. "Once my five years are up – fighting against the Clans permitting, I'll have to fulfil my family obligations as heir to St Ives. At least I won't be heir to a sovereignty anymore."

"You know there are people in the Inner Sphere who never even had that as an opportunity. I rather fancy myself as a Duke one day, or at least a Margrave."

"All you need to do is get promoted to Marshal, which shouldn't take you more than ten or twenty years, sir."

"I like that plan – if nothing else, it's based on the Federated Commonwealth still being around in a decade or two which is the sort of positive attitude that I look for in a junior officer."

Helen opened the door. "Before you get too deep in that bottle, there's a message from HQ about our replacements."

"We're getting replacements? That's unexpectedly good news."

"Two or three should be arriving any minute on the transport they're sending to collect Dave."

Trevana looked at his glass. "I haven't touched this, unlike our sot of a new Hauptmann here," he lied, "but that seems unusually vague of HQ. Are we getting two replacement 'MechWarriors or three?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Helen handed over the documentation. "Two transfers from the Coventry DMM, along with their 'Mechs, plus one extra who's…"

"'Subject to the approval of Hauptmann Kai Allard-Liao', so I see. Well they got your name right, Kai. That's a start."

"Why would they need my approval?" Kai rubbed his head and made a mental note that he needed to cut his hair again. If it got much longer it might start to interfere with his neurohelmet's signals. "And do we even have a spare 'Mech if I do give it?"

"We've got that salvaged Kit Fox. Right now the techs are mostly using it as a glorified crane, but if we have them patch up the cockpit there's no reason we can't re-arm it." Trevana shrugged. "And that would bring us to twenty-four 'Mechs in the battalion – nice and orderly. Why don't you go bid a fond adieu to our favourite Feldwebel and see what you make of this stray 'MechWarrior command have sent us? Apparently I don't get any say if we keep her."

Helen picked up the bottle. "Probably better than drinking this Tikonov rotgut."

"We have a spare glass now that Kai's leaving."

"Oh well, in that case." She started unscrewing the cap as Kai left the room.

Outside the roar of heavy machinery was no longer muted. The Jade Falcons had pushed the Tenth Lyran Guards back over a thousand kilometres of Baker 3 but under General Kimmel's sure hand, the Guards had held together and made the Falcons pay a price in men and machinery that Headquarters were sure they couldn't pay forever. East Jinga, an otherwise fairly unremarkable small town, was just one more temporary base although at least it had reinforced bunkers buried beneath it that could accommodate the civilian population.

Kai waited for a truck to pass and then crossed the road and followed the block down to what was normally a vetinarian surgery and was now being operated by the medical corps as part of the field hospital. With their usual efficiency the AFFC personnel department had sent him new rank pins but not a new ID card so he had to explain to the guards at the gates why he was wearing a Hauptmann's insignia when according to his identification he was an Ober-Leutenant.

"Hey, congratulations." Dave was lying on a field cot, a handheld computer game bleeping in one hand.

"Sorry?"

"The promotion." He fiddled with the device and eventually got it to shut down. "I heard you explaining outside. If you keep it up, you'll be a Field Marshal one day."

Kai took a chair and reversed it, leaning over the back to look down at Dave. One thing about commandeered civilian facilities – they had much better institutional furniture. "I've put a recommendation in for you too, Dave. I don't know how much weight they'll give it, but if they do then along with a new leg, you'll be getting assignment to a command school."

"You're putting me in for a commission? I thought we were friends!"

"Needs of the service, Dave." Kai offered his hand. "You stuck by me from Maxie's Planet this far, I figure anyone who does that deserves the extra salary and pensions."

"…Kathy would kill me if I turned those down, wouldn't she." Dave reached up and shook Kai's hand. "I appreciate it, LT."

"Same here."

The door opened. "Okay, Feldwebel – your ride's here and -" The nurse paused. "Sorry, Hauptmann, are we interrupting?"

"Just here to see Dave to the air strip. Unless that's a problem."

"One less wheelchair for me to push, sir."

"Wheelchair!" Dave protested. "Just get me a pair of crutches, I'll be fine."

"Doctor's orders, Feldwebel. You need to keep weight off what's left of that leg if you want it to be in shape for a prosthesis." The nurse unfolded the wheelchair, a heavy military model, and Kai helped lift Dave into it, then wheeled him out to the APC serving as a personnel transport.

"Where did you get that?" he asked as Dave pulled out the little computer game.

"It's Dave Junior's – he must have forgotten to pack it." The Feldwebel looked embarrassed. "I figure… got to get it back to him, right?"

"Yeah. Well, once they pick a command school for you, I guess your family will be joining you there."

"Eh, it's just six months, right? Might be easier for them to stay on Coventry. Besides, with a metal leg they won't want me in a frontline regiment so I might be best putting in an application for the Coventry DMM."

"We're getting a couple of MechWarriors from there, actually."

"No shit?"

"Coming in on the same flight that's taking you out."

"Small universe. Well, if they're tapping those for replacements then they must have room for an experienced Feldwebel."

"Leutenant."

"Right, I was forgetting."

As the APC pulled up next to the dirt strip Kai could hear aircraft engines. It wasn't until he'd helped Dave out though that he saw what was approaching.

"I don't believe it."

"And I thought ground support pilots came with big balls," agreed Dave. "Are you sure I have to fly out of here with those lunatics?"

Clearly labouring heavily to stay in the air, a variable thrust Planetlifter transport was slowly edging its way downwards, a pair of Commando light BattleMechs suspended beneath it with heavy chains and very little else in the way of support.

"Can I at least leave inside the plane?"

"I don't know, Dave." Kai hid a smile. "It's a very large wheelchair."

The crunch of the Commandos making contact with the airstrip wasn't quite loud enough to suggest damage, although Kai would have wanted to check the ankles out before he tried to pilot either of them. With that done, the Planetlifter released the chains and shifted further up the runway to land. To the fascinated gaze of onlookers, the almost the entire ventral fuselage lowered to the ground to reveal a third Commando, this one laid on its back in the cargo hold.

"Isn't the Planetlifter only rated for seventy tons of cargo?"

"Sounds about right."

"And those Commandos are twenty-five tons each, right?"

"I think they may have been a little overloaded," Kai agreed. "Still, you know what they say about safety margins."

"To never ever exceed them? On pain of being beaten to death with a crutch by an angry Feldwebel?"

"Leutenant."

"Not unless I get to command school I'm not!"

There weren't many passengers aboard – probably a good thing since Kai suspected the Planetlifter might have had trouble getting off the ground if any of them had so much as eaten a heavy breakfast. Three were obvious 'MechWarriors, two were military police and the third…

"Diana?"

"Leutenant Kai." She managed a serviceable salute. Despite the AFFC coverall she was wearing, he saw she still had the two intact cords around her wrist where he'd put them months ago. (Helen had advised back on the Raptor's Wing that Diana didn't remove them even to shower. Kai could have lived without knowing that).

"Hauptmann Allard?" asked the senior of the military police.

"That's me, what's this about?"

"We were told to give you this, sir." He offered an envelope.

Kai tore it open and pulled out the contents.

Hauptmann Allard, it read.

Congratulations on your promotion. I'm sure your family are very proud.

The Ministry of Intelligence have advised me that Bondswoman Diana has been fully debriefed and they have no further questions for her at this time. Normally we'd ship her off world to one of the internment camps, but she does seem to hold you in high regard and we're not exactly spoiled for spare 'MechWarriors.

So it's up to you. If you trust her on your wing, you can cut the bonds cord and swear her into the AFFC. Or have the MPs bring her back and we'll send her to the internment camp.

Yrs.

Alvin Kimmel, Gen. AFFC.

"What's it say?" asked Dave.

Kai passed him the letter.

"The general's giving you a…"

"Don't. Just… don't."

The one-legged Feldwebel shrugged. "Hey, Diana."

"Feldwebel Dave!" She stared at him in shock. "Your leg! Will they be able to replace it?"

"Yeah, sure. Look, I've gotta go get that looked at so keep an eye on Kai for me. You know he needs someone to keep him out of trouble."

She nodded solemnly. "I will do my best."

"Dammit, Dave."

The older man gestured for him to move closer. "You got the same briefings, right. You beat her, so you have her loyalty. Besides, I showed her all your dad's old fights and…"

"I really wish you hadn't."

"Respectfully, LT, you need someone's problems to think about instead of whatever ones you think you have yourself. Keeping her out of trouble will be a full time job. Just think if it as being a Dad."

"Keep digging that hole, Dave. I have Kathy's address, you know." Kai rubbed his face and then folded up the letter. "Okay. Diana, do you want to get back in a 'Mech? It means fighting your old Clan."

"You are offering me a place in your Clan, quiaff?"

Kai swore that if Dave laughed once, he'd kick him out of the wheelchair. "You'll need to swear allegiance to the Federated Commonwealth, Diana. And we take that seriously. If you take the oath and then try to rejoin the Jade Falcons, I'll kill you myself."

She frowned. "I think I understand. I would still be a warrior?"

"A MechWarrior and a soldier."

"You do not have bloodnames in the Inner Sphere, do you?"

Kai shook his head.

"So if I am a soldier, I could one day become an officer?"

"If you qualify – there's special training, I've nominated Dave for it."

Diana considered and then looked up at Kai. "My gene-sire is a Jade Falcon officer. A trueborn. I have not met him but I am not sure I could fight him. But otherwise I will fight for you."

"Close enough." Kai pulled out the survival knife he was keeping in his boot these days. "Hold still while I take the cord off. And then we'll swear you in."

"We're not taking her back then?" asked the military policeman.

"No, but I'd take it as a personal favour if you'd keep an eye on Feldwebel Jewell here on the flight back. He's scared of heights and between that and the painkillers…"

"Once I pass that command course, I'll be allowed to swear at you in public, won't I?" Dave groaned. He looked up at the military policemen. "Tell me straight up, was the flight in as bad as it looked from here."

"They told me before we boarded that without the ammunition, the 'Mechs were just light enough to be inside their weight limits. The pilots swore they must be over though. It was… kind of rocky, but I don't think there's going to be as much going the other way."

Kai and Dave exchanged looks. The older Commando models carried two tons of SRM ammo but both the Ausf R and the Ausf S models had only one ton.

"Yeah, one of you guys push me over to the loadmaster," Dave grumbled. "If he overloads us this time, I won't be getting on the plane – not if I have to wheel this thing all the way back to the drop port myself."


	7. Book 2, Chapter 6

Chapter Six

 **First Landing, Altair**

 **Dieron District, Draconis Combine**

 **10 November 3050**

The tea house was located in a minor suburb of the capital city of Altair, an overlay of Japanese culture on the more western culture that had predominated under the rule of the Terran Hegemony. As a result, all tax records showed that it struggled to make a meagre profit from year to year.

In fact it ran at a loss, with the financial records fabricated to hide off-the-books payments that actually kept it in business. A tea house that was barely ever visited by customers made an excellent location for covert meetings. Anyone who knew the site knew also to bring their own tea as nothing too much could be expected of what was provided.

Theodore Kurita was proficient in many, although admittedly not all, of the arts expected of a Draconian gentleman. He prepared tea for himself and his guest with his own hands, as even Takashi Kurita might have.

Only when the formal obligations of this were completed did he ask: "With your wife on Sian and your master fighting a war, I am surprised that you accepted this invitation in person, Justin Allard."

Dressed in a subdued business suit, the Federated Commonwealth Minister of Intelligence bowed slightly. "Some invitations merit extraordinary responses, Lord Kurita."

"I'm gratified that you feel that way." Theodore drew one hand across a discreet panel of the table and holograms danced briefly across the air between them. "We found this information regarding the Clans quite interesting."

Justin nodded. "I'm pleased that it has served a purpose."

"Yes, although you have evidently had some of this data for years."

"Quite so."

"I suppose I should be slightly gratified that the presence of the Clans prevented Prince Davion from turning his army against the Draconis Combine."

"It is, of course, open to question how effective that would have been with your mysterious Yurei regiments." Justin sipped on his tea. "My congratulations on your son's successes against the Smoke Jaguars."

"My understanding is that your own son is doing very well, and of course there's your daughter's marriage." The Gunji no Kanrei pulled a data disc out of the table. "Some of our own data on the Clans. It isn't as wide ranging as your own gift but perhaps a little more current."

"You're more than kind." Justin tucked the disc away in his attaché case. "So, is this sufficient small talk? My experience of Kuritan social mores is largely theoretical."

"My father would probably suggest an exchange of poetry or that we step out into the garden to view them but since I don't plan to discuss this meeting with him, we can pass those." Theodore sipped on his tea and studied his guest for another moment. "To address the matter of Clan Smoke Jaguar I have decided to re-arrange certain deployments facing the Draconis March. It seems to me that the embarkation of transports by so many regiments may cause some alarm to House Sandoval."

"The Duke is quite sensitive about such matters, given the history of the region."

"It seemed to me that my assurance that the regiments would be making their way towards Luthien rather than towards, for example, Robinson might help to keep the Duke from being worried. Of course, past history suggest that he might also consider this an opportunity. Not that the First Prince would approve, but Duke Sandoval does have wide autonomy in his March."

He paused. "That would be a significant error on his part." A new hologram came to life above the table.

Justin's eyes narrowed as he examined it. "An Essex-class destroyer."

"A sister ship of the one that bombarded Turtle Bay. My son captured it on Albiero. Since the Smoke Jaguars would probably be able to engage it with multiple or larger warships, destroying it in short order, I've ordered it be deployed to the border with the Federated Suns. I'm sure you can imagine how unfortunate it would be for an invasion force to be caught by this vessel."

The other man shook his head and then chuckled.

"There's something amusing about the prospect of dropships being destroyed before they can reach the surface of Combine worlds?" Theodore folded his arms. "I assure you I am not bluffing."

"I was momentarily affected by the irony of the situation." Justin sobered. "The AFFC is withdrawing some of the regiments present in the Draconis March, as you've probably realised. To ensure the security of our borders, a small number of our own warships have been stationed in the Draconis March and the Terran March."

"A number of warships!" exclaimed Theodore.

"As you said, we've been aware of the Clans for some time," Justin told him calmly. "While the expense of constructing new warships is problematic, there are wrecks that can be restored to service if you're willing to take the time. As long as all warships remain on their side of the border, it's unlikely to cause conflict."

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to share any details of this fleet."

"A deterrent has little value if nothing is known about it. The ships assigned to the Draconis March are FCS Viking and FCS Vanguard, both of what we call the Vincent Davion-class, improvements on the SLDF's Vincent-class corvettes. The vessels in the Terran March are larger but you haven't offered me any information worth giving you those details."

Theodore scratched his upper lip. "And if you'll excuse me for saying so, I only have your word for the existence of these vessels."

"Perhaps I'm bluffing, perhaps I'm not." Justin smiled. "And after all, for a man with your resources, footage of a fairly common SLDF warship would be quite easy to obtain. But such a bluff would of course be beneath the dignity of a samurai such as yourself."

"Very true."

"And since neither you nor the rulers of the Federated Commonwealth intend to send forces across the border, neither of us will have to concern ourselves with details of these warships. Anyone they encounter will surely be renegades outside the protection of any Great House."

"One day the Clans will no longer be a concern. And on that day I'll be left to deal with a Federated Commonwealth that apparently has a small fleet of warships, not to mention one that controls the Capellan Confederation as well."

"Well." Justin lifted his tea cup in his left, artificial hand. "It may be the concern of a future generation, of course. There's really no knowing how long the Clans will dominate the concerns of the great realms. For as long as that endures, we have a mutual interest in avoiding conflict with each other."

"And if Victor Steiner-Davion decides he wishes to be First Lord of the Star League?"

"Then he will have three council votes, your highness. And neither more nor less likelihood of those votes being acknowledged on Atreus or Luthien than he does right now. However…" He trailed off in thought for a moment, covering it by finishing his tea.

"Your children may have some memory of the Fourth Succession War, Lord Kurita, but mine do not. Nor do Hanse and Melissa's children. Certainly they are trained for war – but they have never seen it until now. And have the last twenty years or so been so bad? We may not entirely have been at peace, but are our people not better off than they would have been when barely a month went by without a raid across the border?"

"We both know that it isn't that simple, Justin Allard."

Justin shrugged and rose to his feet. "Perhaps you are confusing simple with easy, Theodore Kurita. But perhaps not. I suspect neither of us will make the decision in the end."

"Have a safe journey back to New Avalon."

"And you to… Luthien? Or will it be Alshain you lead your armies to defend? Even with Regular regiments pulled from the border I doubt you can defend both." The Intelligence Minister shook his head. "I do not envy you that choice," he finished as he left the room.

Theodore Kurita poured what was rest of the tea into his cup and threw it back. "Choice," he half-snarled once Justin was out of earshot. "What choice? Alshain is a border world when all is said and done. If Luthien falls…"

He looked at the cup and almost – almost – hurled it against the wall. Instead he set it down.

"If Luthien falls…"

.o0o.

 **Katani Nature Reserve, Apolakkia**

 **Jade Falcon Occupation Zone**

 **13 November 3050**

"You are going to defend this planet alone?" Perigard Zalman had asked, hours earlier.

"Aff." Timur Malthus wasn't entirely resigned to this being the end of his career, but with the losses that had been suffered over the last month of fighting he was damned if he was going to share whatever glory might be achievable.

Faced with such a challenge, the Steel Viper saKhan couldn't resist the challenge and now their OmniMechs were stalking across the hills of Katani. Precisely what nature was to be protected here wasn't something that Malthus was particularly curious about. Small reddish clay hills with occasional patches of native trees and water.

If the trees were what was being protected then the local population might be upset about the way Malthus' autocannon chewed through one of them. For his part, the Jade Falcon was more annoyed at the fact the shells had missed the Crossbow.

His Gauss Rifle had missed too and Zalman wasn't as considerate as to miss the opportunity. The Crossbow couldn't carry remotely as much firepower as Malthus' Hellbringer but in this configuration it had a pair of very accurate LRM launchers.

Malthus tried to turn the 'Mech out of the path of the salvo but Zalman had judged the shot superbly and a dense swarm of missiles caught the Hellbringer from the right side and scoured away entire tons of armour.

There was a crackle and the status of the right arm went black as the capacitor of the gauss rifle mounted in it shorted and discharged a surge of electricity through the systems. Fuses cut the limb off before the jolt of electricity could cause more damage but the Khan had to fight to retain his balance as the myomers of the arm contracted unpredictably and started it waving violently.

The two 'Mechs were the same weight and roughly equal in mobility. Neither was even a particularly advanced design by Clan standards, making it somewhat ironic that they were the choice of the two Khans.

Firing his autocannon and both his SRM launchers, Malthus rushed closer. He'd need every weapon he could use now because without his gauss rifle, the balance of the firepower had slipped to the Crossbow – which wasn't good when it also carried significantly more armour.

The good news was that Zalman had limited ammunition to work with.

The bad news was that he had more than enough if he was allowed to use it.

The Crossbow's frame was marked by explosions as SRMs pockmarked its protective shell. Cluster rounds raked across its nearer shoulder and – importantly – the head.

More LRMs tore into the frame of the Hellbringer. Malthus had angled himself to take the brunt of the damage against the useless arm and it was reduced to a blackened stump shielding the right chest – vital since it contained the pair of missile launchers that made up most of his firepower.

If he still had a working gauss rifle to open holes, the missiles would have been ideal but as it was…

The last exchange of fire may have damaged Zalman's sensors or possibly the control of the arm that contained one LRM launcher because it missed completely but the other launcher was squarely on target.

Malthus drove one foot down, pivoting his 'Mech violently to take the hits to his rear armour. While thinner than the front armour, it could take at least one salvo and he'd need the frontal armour for the close range engagement he had no choice but to go for now.

The move seemed to catch Zalman off-guard and the Steel Viper backed his 'Mech up, taking it down a slope behind a ridge and momentarily breaking contact with Malthus.

It wasn't possible for them to completely lose track of each other – the two 'Mechs were too large and too loud. More than sixty tons of metal made very noticeable noise even on fairly soft ground like this.

Being out of sight at least gave them each a momentary respite, a moment to let their 'Mechs cool down and the MechWarriors catch their breath.

"Stravag," cursed Malthus as a modest salvo of LRMs arced up and over the ridge. He'd slowed slightly to turn his 'Mech back around and before he could accelerate away the missiles crashed down, tearing away more armour and cracking some of the internal bracing on the left side of the Hellbringer.

It wasn't a particularly dense salvo though – only one missile launcher had fired. Perhaps the Steel Viper saKhan was avoiding the use of the other to preserve ammunition – it would make sense, particularly if he was right about damaging that arm.

The Jade Falcon pushed his heavy OmniMech into a run – not around the ridge but up and over it.

The other side was a steep decline and the Khan threw his 'Mech back and worked the legs, fighting for balance as he half-slid and half-ran down to the bottom of the ridge.

He'd hoped to catch Zalman facing towards the end of the ridge, expecting him to circle it rather than risk the heavier terrain, but instead the Steel Viper Khan had backed up so the only time the move bought was the time for the Crossbow to bring its arm around and…

Malthus felt his 'Mech stumble as he tried to move away from the ridge and return fire.

The timing was terrible and he saw his shots go wild as the Crossbow fired its missile launcher – only one again, and smashed away the armour plating over his chest.

Had he damaged his leg actuators as he descended the ridge? The damage display didn't show anything.

Looking down he realised that his Hellbringer was ankle-deep in thick, heavy mud. Such water as there was here evidently ran through this lower ground and rendered the clay down to something that sucked at the 'Mech's feet as he moved.

It wouldn't stop him. It couldn't stop him.

But it could slow him and Perigard Zalman fired both missile launchers this time.

Forty LRMs followed a low arc across the distance between the two of them and almost all of them hit.

Malthus managed to stagger forwards. No more autocannon – the entire left side of his 'Mech was a wreck. There had been a small laser there that he'd never even been in range to fire.

"I honour the courage of the Jade Falcons." Zalman's voice was smug on the radio and Malthus wished for a moment that he'd offered to fight unaugmented, just for the chance to drive his fist into the other man's face. "But now I must question your judgment. Your 'Mech is too badly damaged to continue, Khan Malthus."

They were over two hundred and fifty metres apart. Just barely in range of his SRMs.

He could still fight, but barring Turkina herself swooping down to deliver victory, he could not win.

And thus, between Elias Crichell and Perigard Zalman, he would lose…

Well. Not everything.

The world, the khanship. But he was still a warrior of Clan Jade Falcon and Crichell's machinations made him more enemies than friends. There might come a day to claw back what he was losing. It simply was not this day.

Malthus thumbed his radio controls. "Khan Zalman, victory is yours. This world belongs to Clan Steel Viper."

.o0o.

 **ComStar Compound, Hilton Head Island**

 **North America, Terra**

 **14 November 3050**

Myndo Waterly clenched her fists where no one could see them inside the long sleeves of her robe and fought back the urge to scream.

"Almost thirty years ago, I stood where you are standing now, Sharilar, and I warned Julian Tiepolo that allowing the marriage of Steiner mercantilism to Davion's technological prowess would the greatest threat that our Order faced. Perhaps in future generations history will record me as a new Cassandra, one who warned but was not heeded!"

Sharilar Mori, Precentor Dieron and head of all ComStar operations within the Draconis Combine, bowed her head. "Dire as the news of Federated Commonwealth warships is, Primus, I am more concerned that this is the first we have heard of them."

Waterly stabbed one finger towards the other woman. "That, right there, is why you are among the few members of the First Circuit I can trust. You see the heart of this while that fool Seneca burbles about surveying ancient battlefields and categorizing wrecks that may have been removed. Only Theodore Kurita's need to bluster about being able to defend the Combine with his captured ship has forced Davion to show his hand in turn. If he had not, when would we have learned of them?"

"Most probably only when Prince Davion found it suitable to employ them in battle against the Clans." Mori bowed her head. "Of course, the Clans return must post-date the beginnings of this programme. This is the work of years so if the Clans had not invaded…"

"Then he would have turned them upon us. Oh, he probably justified them as being developed to fight against the Clans – the Lyrans must have paid the lion's share of this, given the damage caused to the Suns' economy by our Interdiction twenty years ago. But once he had sufficient forces there is only one place in the Inner Sphere that he would require such a force to attack." Waterly spread her hands above the star symbol of ComStar inlaid into the floor of the chamber. "Here."

"I am not a soldier, Primus. Could our defences hold against such an attack?"

The Primus frowned. "That is uncertain. He can hardly have a fleet the match of that required by General Kerensky to take Terra all those years ago, but our defences are also much weaker. We have none of the Caspar drones that were employed to engage vessels outside the reach of the planetary defence centres' weaponry. Even those fortifications are untested – Focht advised me that the figures our engineers claim for their performance fall short of specifications dating back to their initial construction by the Camerons."

"We have our own fleet of warships, of course."

"Yes, but Davion would have had surprise and most of the ships are based in hidden depots light years away from us. It could take days before they returned here. A swift strike, an orbital drop around Hilton Head and no doubt he has a puppet in place to assure the Precentors of our HPG stations within the Federated Commonwealth that all is well and that service would continue as normal."

"Neither Thomas Marik nor Takashi Kurita would recognise the neutrality of a ComStar under the control of the Federated Commonwealth."

"Of course not. But how would you and our Precentor in Atreus maintain the true order when Terra's factories are the only source of the most critical components needed to maintain the HPGs? Davion would sit back and do nothing as the Combine and the League slowly lost the ability to control their outlying possessions. His sons would be easily able to strip away outlying worlds and provinces until the Commonwealth could no longer be challenged even by the united efforts of all the free worlds."

"It must be said then, that we should be grateful to the Clans for arriving and forcing Prince Davion's hand."

Waterly nodded. "The hand of Blake has reached down to guard us. But now that we are not caught off guard, we must take steps to respond to this threat. I have Seneca's advice and I will question Focht at the next opportunity, but what is your advice, Sharilar?"

Adjusting her hood, the slightly older woman hesitated.

"Speak frankly, Precentor."

She clasped her hands. "Two measures suggest themselves, Primus. First we should guard ourselves here. Admit that ComStar has restored a few of the ancient warships and that they are being mobilised to defend Terra in this dangerous time. With the Clans having used a warship against Turtle Bay, no one could question the need for our own. It is unlikely that Davion will strike at us now and a few active vessels, even if they were outnumbered, would make it clear that he could not seize Terra quickly or easily."

"Vessels both here over Terra and guarding the shipyard complex at Titan," agreed the Primus. "And the second measure?"

"Where is Davion's Titan? He must have a shipyard that is restoring the salvaged warships he speaks of. It seems unlikely that he could hide more than one such facility. And there must be records at the shipyard of what they have worked on so once we have access to that we will know how many warships he has and how much of a threat they must pose."

"Very good. We can safely conclude that he does not have the warships to effectively confront Clan Jade Falcon or Clan Wolf – the other Clans would not concern him. Both have employed around ten warships, with the former largely displaying cruisers and larger vessels. We can therefore safely suggest that two warships in the Draconis March and a slightly larger force in the Terran March represent much of Davion's naval strength."

"Eight to ten vessels perhaps, with few large vessels. We should confirm this before acting, however. It is possible that some of the ships were hidden in remote systems or only minimally crewed. Prince Davion was more than willing to allow dozens of worlds to be over-run before he committed his regiments against them. If he needs time to assemble and prepare crews for a cache of warships, he is almost certainly pragmatic enough to trade worlds and even regiments to win himself that time."

"A valid point. This makes your second proposed measure all the more important – once we know where his shipyards are and can accurately assess his warship strength, we can decide on a course of action to neutralize it." Waterly turned to look out of the window. The sun was rising and for a moment she envisaged the Steiner fist laid over it as if it were the banner of the Federated Commonwealth rising over her world.

"The Federated Commonwealth must end," she murmured. "We can no longer permit them to prosper or the future Blake foresaw for us can never come to pass."

"I recognise the need, Primus. The means to accomplish it, however…"

"You need not concern yourself." Waterly smiled. "The Draconis Combine's role is to hold back the Clans and you can bend your efforts to balancing their power against the Smoke Jaguars. Since the ilKhan's Clan are not receptive to the overtures of the Precentor Martial, we need not do anything to aid them. House Marik has been untouched by the Clans and Thomas Marik is both ours and no friend to Hanse Davion."

"I would not presume to second-guess my colleague on Atreus, but rumour has it that Marik's son suffers from a form of cancer. Were he to come to Terra for treatment…"

The Primus laughed darkly. "We really do think alike, my dear friend. Alas, we have no treatment to offer Joshua Marik. Treatment for leukaemia remains a secret of Star League medical science we have not recovered."

"Perhaps the Clans have more complete records." Mori clasped her hands. "The possibility to bring the Captain-General's son and future heir here for medical treatment and… education seems that it might even be worth some concession to the Clans."

"Are you looking for a transfer to Atreus?" Waterly asked archly. "It can hurt nothing to ask the Precentor Martial to explore the possibility, I suppose…"

.o0o.

 **Tamar City, Tamar**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **29 November 3050**

"The Wolves are up to something."

Field Marshal Cynthia Franks nodded in agreement with the analyst's statement. "I can't see it any other way. The Falcons are happy to tear away at our units on the four worlds they've attacked but the situation's completely changed at this end of the defence line. They're sitting in the areas they've secured and skirmishing regularly but there's only been one major engagement this month and that was probably someone screwing up."

"Maybe they're short of supplies," suggested Richard Steiner. The Archon's first cousin commanded the Benfled operations area, which had seen almost no fighting so far, except along Defence Line Gamma which was being overseen entirely by Franks so his main concern so far was ensuring a steady flow of supplies to the embattled regiments. "The background data suggests that the Clans generally have trouble with that."

Lynn Zellner, his counterpart for Blackjack operations area, tilted her hand from side to side. "The Wolves have only taken a few worlds from us but they've always indicated a preference for swift, overwhelming attacks. This is different, I'll give you that, but we're also seeing fewer units."

"It seems to me that the Wolves have decided a slugging match for these worlds isn't worth their time." Franks steepled her fingers. "If they're pulling units off these worlds then they must be planning to strike at other worlds."

"Here?" asked Zellner drily. "Duke Kelswa seems convinced they'll land any day now."

"It's possible but they have to know that Tamar's just as well defended as the other worlds in the defence line – more so really, with three fully upgraded RCTs on world. And if they're scaling back operations on our neighbours then we can call in reinforcements."

"Bypassing the line would mean they'd threaten Sevren, Weingarten and Laurent on our side of the border." Steiner frowned. "The first two would be unfortunate but the third is a command world and one of our supply nodes. On the other side of the border, Memmingen and Vorarlberg would be under threat."

"We can send a warning to the Kungsarme," decided the Field Marshal. "We've bought them a couple of months to regroup but other than that we have enough to worry about here. What's stationed on Laurent? We pulled the Fifth Ceti Hussars out to reinforce the other end of the line…"

"Fifteenth Deneb Light Cavalry. Their Beta Combat Command was still in reserve but Alpha and Gamma took a pounding on Baker 3 and Zoetermeer so we pulled them back to reorganise. Sevren's technically part of Line Gamma but no one's taken a swing at it yet."

"The whole strategic purpose of defensive lines is to pin the Clans down on the worlds they're fighting for. If they're not hitting Sevren then it isn't a priority."

"Then the units on Mkuranga and Babaeski are available for redeployment as well. Right now, they're just sitting out on our left flank."

Franks nodded. "We're not going to fall back on Defence Line Delta at this point but I want everything in position for if they try to rush deeper. There are unconfirmed reports of another Clan in the Jade Falcon occupation zone so we could be encountering reinforcements in the near future. Richard, you have a dozen regiments in deep reserve plus the CCAF units that should arrive soon, I want you to start them digging in along the line, working from Morges to Hainfeld. That should give us enough length to still cover the full front of their invasion unless they decided to change their entire axis of advance."

"What about Sudeten? Even with the factories removed, it's an important world and Defence Line Delta is behind it."

"Lynn, move the un-upgraded RCTs from your end of Gamma line down to Sudeten to reinforce the Gray Death Legion. Consolidate the Twelfth Deneb Light Cavalry onto Parakoila – they already have one combat command there and it'll put more pressure on the Falcons."

"That leaves me the Fourth Ceti Hussars and Fifth FedCom as a reserve. Can I move them to Baker 3 and Zoetermeer? Vulcan is holding out okay with the Kell Hounds there but if more units arrive on the other worlds they could be shaky. The Lyran and Donegal Guards units on those worlds haven't been fully upgraded and they're taking a beating."

"Okay. Pull them off world and replace them with the Fourth Ceti and Fifth FedCom. Then you can use the shipping to pull the Tenth Lyran Guards and Tenth Donegal Guards to Sudeten to refit and keep the two un-upgraded RCTs on Mkuranga and Babaeski in position as a reserve in case the flank is pushed further open."

"Got it."

"Richard, I'll move the Third FedCom from Sevren to Laurent to look after the supplies and pull the Wolf Dragoon's Delta Regiment here to Tamar. That should please the Duke and they'll be in position in case the Wolves are going to focus their attention on just one world of the salient."

"If the Wolves are weakening their positions here in in the salient, would it be worth pushing for a counter-offensive? If we can drive them off even one world it could free up regiments to reinforce the others and once we get momentum going…"

The two women exchanged glances. "I think that would be premature, Richard," Cynthia said diplomatically. "The Wolves must have a reserve and that could leave us over-extended and vulnerable at the moment. Now, if they do commit elsewhere with those troops then it's possible we could bring regiments forward from the Delta line and start re-taking worlds. But please don't mention that to Duke Kelswa. If he demands an immediate counteroffensive it could cause problems on Tharkad."

.o0o.

 **Tamar War Collage, Tamar**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **29 November 3050**

The cockpit of Vlad's 'Mech stank of fear.

Actually, the stink was probably the ineradicable result of age. The Woodsman had been one of the very first OmniMechs and had been retired from active service before Vlad's sibko had been decanted. Probably before Khan Ulric or even Cyrilla Ward had been decanted in fact. No amount of cleaning could entirely rid him of the stench.

The fear wasn't Vlad's. Strapped to a jump seat behind his command couch a technician was doing his level best to restrain an almost gibbering terror. If the newly promoted Star Colonel was inclined to be fair he might have admitted that the man's training didn't include a 'Mech drop from low orbit. Since fairness didn't make up much of his world-view, he instead tried to ignore it.

"Aerospace fighters coming in from aft."

Vlad clutched the joysticks in frustration. At this point in the drop there was nothing he could do about the attack. Until the pod was ablated his 'Mech was trapped inside it and he couldn't use its weapons to fight back or even the jump-pack strapped to the rear of the Woodsman to try to evade. "Carew, take care of it."

"It is a work in progress."

Like everyone in Vlad's new command, Carew was working with hardware considerably less advanced than he would usually expect. The personnel of the Wolf Hunters had been assembled from those with bloodlines deemed questionable in light of the Wolf Dragoons' decision to fight against their parent clan. The equipment came from shipments ordered from the Home world months ago to be used by garrison units.

In poorer Clans, that might have meant equipment cached by the SLDF when Kerensky first settled the Pentagon worlds and never touched since. It was scant consolation that the Xerxes, Tyre and Chaeronea aerospace fighters issued to the Wolf Hunter's aerospace trinary were newer than that – they were still designs that dated back to the twenty-ninth century.

"Give me more detail than that!"

Carew's voice was strained by the multiple-gravities imposed by rapid manoeuvring. "An interceptor wing – warbook calls them Seydlitz, Sabre and Sparrowhawks. They are agile but we can handle them – if you do not distract us."

"Then do it!" Vlad pried one hand off his controls and punched a command into his warbook. Older designs of fighter, much older than Carew's command, but probably upgraded. The Sabre and Sparrowhawk shouldn't pose a threat unless they got close, but the Seydlitz was built around a large laser. If the upgrades encountered on other worlds held true…

After a long and terrible few moments, Carew spoke again. "You are clear. We have lost two fighters and three more will need to return to the dropships to repair."

"Do it."

"And one 'Mech pod was hit and is falling out of control."

Vlad smelt something acrid. Had the man behind him… "You cowardly surat!"

"What!?" Carew snapped back. "How dare you - !"

"Not you, the fool in my cockpit!" Vlad shook his head. "You have done well, Carew," he added grudgingly. "Who have we lost?"

"Point Commander Marcus and his wingman Jonah. I do not know which 'Mech it was."

"It was Lajos," reported Ranna from her own cockpit. "Do not be too hard on your technician, Vlad. At least he has not vomited."

"Ugh." Vlad turned his head as far as he could. "Do not even think about it!" If his 'Mech was a more modern design, with the small and efficient cockpit of newer OmniMechs, there would be no room for someone else behind him. Of course, such cockpits were less than ideal for the long running battles that the Clans found themselves engaged in against the Inner Sphere. As with many matters, what worked for a Trial that lasted only a few hours was not quite so practical when waging a major war.

Lajos… The warrior had impressed Vlad slightly and his Corvis would have been useful in what was likely to be difficult terrain once they hit the ground. On the other hand, he was a contender for the Ward bloodname left vacant by Conal's death. If he had won his next match, he would have faced Vlad in one of the semi-final matches. As it was, his opponent would have a bye before Vlad killed him.

The jump pod finally reached its limits and came apart. Vlad could see the night sky around him, lit by weapons fire around him and by the city still many thousands of metres below.

"We are right on target," he observed. Normally he would expect nothing less than perfection but clearly the support the Wolf Hunters would receive from the rest of the Clan might be deficient – for now. "Carew, you are clear to engage ground targets, quiaff?"

"Aff. Our medium Star is ahead of you and below." The diminutive Star Captain's voice was still angry. "Do not shoot them down by error – or out of pique."

"I do not make errors, Carew."

The pulse lasers of the Tyres made them good for strafing and their heavy autocannon could punch out even fortified turrets on the ground – which was a good thing since they were too slow and poorly armoured for dog-fighting. Visigoths would have been better in every respect, but despite their being gradually replaced by Jaghatai in the medium fighter role, not a single one could be spared for the Wolf Hunters.

"More fighters incoming – just air-breathers," warned Carew. "I will sweep them away. Skill, warriors."

"Skill," grunted Vlad in echo of Ranna's warmer send off. A moment later he saw brilliant lines of tracer lash through the sky as Carew's command star engaged with the massive assault autocannon built into their aerospace fighters. Unlike the fighters above, these spheroid strike fighters were vastly inferior and the Wolf aerospace fighters were sweeping them out of the sky almost as rapidly as they came into range.

The ground was approaching rapidly now and Vlad checked the landing site. Good – the maps had shown a swathe of relatively open ground with Tamar City encompassing it on three sides and that seemed to largely still be true – the training grounds of the Tamar War College were convenient to both the Drop Port and the Ducal palace, which made it ideal for this landing.

It also almost guaranteed that the landing zone would be contested by the College's training battalion but that was also ideal. If any of the AFFC's cubs survived the experience they might be worthy of consideration as bondsmen.

"Hold on." Sparing only that sharp warning for his unwelcome but necessary passenger, Vlad fired the jump-pack, both slowing and stabilising his 'Mech's fall. There were buildings down below and if he landed amongst them there was risk of damaging the 'Mech. On the other hand, there was also a chance of damaging some of the defences.

Vlad's lips drew back from his teeth as he saw that almost directly below him was a large communications dish. A second flare of his jump pack removed 'almost' and then he braced himself, waited for the altimeter to reach the correct height and hammered the controls again for one last and longest effort from the bulky pack.

He'd timed it perfectly and the pack finally ran out of fuel with the Woodsman only a meter above the dish. Using several tons of enemy equipment was not recommended in drop procedures but Vlad would have sworn it made the landing easier – or at least more satisfying.

"Are we -?"

"Shut up." He tore the Woodsman free of the wreckage and looked around. The other 'Mechs of his Nova had landed around him – Byron's Warhammer, Madison's Marauder, Egil's Glass Spider… "Garth?"

"Here." The other MechWarrior's Grizzly pushed itself through the wall of an administration block. "The roof was not as sturdy as I hoped."

"We're moving for the objective then. Carew, we are down. Refuel and rearm – I will let you know when you are needed again."

"Your will, Star Colonel."

"Status reports!"

"Baker Trinary is mounting Elementals," Samis reported. "We will be with you shortly."

Ranna chimed in: "Charlie Trinary is in position. We are short Lajos, otherwise all present. Moving for the Drop Port."

"Continue as planned."

"Beta Nova reports all well." Madison raised one of the arms of her 'Mech and pointed with the weapon pod to the south. "Gamma Nova are engaged to the south. One 'Mech and three Elementals down."

"Move then." Vlad drove his Woodsman southwards between two of the buildings, the rest of his star falling in behind him. "Samis, head around the academy complex and stand ready to the south. We will push the defenders back on you. Command Nova elementals, we will rendezvous at Gamma Star's position."

"Aff. We will be ready."

The courtyards and parade grounds of the War College had been laid out precisely to allow the movement of 'Mechs and fighting vehicles between them if need be. This allowed Vlad to make rapid progress, battering aside minor obstacles with the heavy 'Mech's feet. Closing on the gunfire he almost missed the appearance of a pair of Locust light 'Mechs until they opened fire with the lasers slung beneath their torsos.

The damage inflicted was minimal and Vlad responded with his own lasers, the much more powerful weapons peeling away the limited armour of one of the lightweight scout 'Mech.

Madison engaged the second Locust with her PPCs blasting both the right leg and the turret-like machinegun wing on that side of the 'Mech into blackened wreckage. Her target collapsed even while the other three MechWarriors moved on, looking for targets of their own. Byron kicked down an ornamental wall to make room for he and Egil to march their 'Mechs past while Garth fired his Grizzly's jump-jets and simply hurtled overhead.

The surviving Locust back-pedaled quickly, scampering for cover but Vlad dropped his crosshairs on the back of the torso and fired his lasers again, tearing through the marginal protection and deep into the interior. The 'Mech collapsed to the concrete.

"Gamma are short a 'Mech to this?"

"Some of them must be more credible opponents," offered Madison as they moved after the rest of the Star.

Vlad pushed his 'Mech, using the myomer acceleration signal circuitry to briefly supercharge the speed of the Woodsman and catch up.

They arrived in time to see Star Commander Ajax's Thresher firing a long and vicious burst from its autocannon into the already breached armour of a Crockett assault 'Mech. Almost half again the size of the secondline Clan 'Mech, the Crockett reeled and then fell onto its back, although it still raised one arm and tried to return fire with the large laser built into it.

Ajax side-stepped before raking the larger 'Mech's armour with his autocannon and pummelling it with his lasers.

Looking around, Vlad realised that Gamma Nova must have landed almost at the door to the college's 'Mech hangers. More than twenty 'Mechs were packed into the broad avenues around it, exchanging fire furiously. Zellbrigen had obviously been discarded, with the outnumbered survivors of Gamma Nova under fire from all directions.

"Concentrate your fire!" he ordered sharply. "Put them down and let the Elementals finish them."

Obediently Egil and Byron both opened fire on a Dervish that was concentrating on engaging a Wolf Hunters Griffin. Both 'Mechs mounted multiple pulse lasers, which savaged the armour before Egil used one of his PPCs to blow one arm off the smaller enemy 'Mech and spin it half-around.

An elemental bounded up and onto the damaged flank of the 'Mech and fired its missile launchers into the vulnerable missile storage bay. The resulting explosion hurled the Elemental into the building opposite but it tore the Inner Sphere 'Mech apart.

Vlad spotted Garth engaging a Phoenix Hawk and a Chameleon. With a shout he fired both missile launchers and his large lasers into the nearer of the pair. The Phoenix Hawk staggered and then continued to fire into Garth's Grizzly while the Chameleon turned its large laser upon Vlad.

Madison's Marauder was engaging the Crockett as it tried to stand so Vlad charged towards Garth alone.

The Grizzly fired the pulse lasers in one arm into the Phoenix Hawk's chest, adding to the damage Vlad had done. Then it raised the other arm and a slug from the gauss rifle cored into the vitals just as Vlad engaged again, this time with all four lasers.

The Phoenix Hawk fell and the Chameleon prudently fired its jump-jets to try to evade the incoming Woodsman. As it soared up into the air, a stream of laser pulses caught it in the right arm, severing the limb. Vlad glanced back and saw that the laser fire had come from Egil's Glass Spider.

The Chameleon's right arm was left behind as the medium 'Mech withdrew to the south.

"Let it go," Vlad ordered reluctantly. Samis' Trinary, with their lighter and faster BattleMechs, would be able to catch the Chameleon, whereas the intense melee around the 'Mech hanger had to take priority.

Rather than closing in, the two Wolves turned and engaged at long range, pouring withering fire into two Wasps and a Commando that tried to gang up on Egil. By the time that the last of the three light 'Mechs had been defeated, the rest of the battle had died down.

The ground was littered with the broken remains of Tamar 'Mechs cut down first by Ajax's Nova and then the crossfire between Vlad's command Nova and the late arrival of Beta Nova.

"S-sir, I am picking up transmissions from the planetary command centre." The technician clutched the earphones he was wearing. "We have not broken their codes but the activity level is much higher than previously. They must be aware of our presence."

"Good." Vlad walked his 'Mech across the wreckage. "Beta Nova, move south to link up with Baker Trinary. Ajax, pulse me the telemetry from your Nova."

A secondary screen lit up with the remaining strength of Gamma Nova. In addition to the earlier loss of a Hunchback, the Star had also lost a Shadow Hawk and more than half their elementals.

"Consolidate your elemental points and check for Wolf survivors," ordered Vlad. "Then take up the rear. Command Nova, form on me."

He felt his Woodsman shake as Elementals latched onto the handles fitted for them.

The Wolf Hunters loped southwards, towards Samis' Baker Trinary and beyond them to the heart of Tamar City.

.o0o.

 **Tamar City, Tamar**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **29 November 3050**

Richard Steiner felt a sick sensation as he strapped into his Zeus.

It wasn't fear – he'd faced that before. The two shots of Glengarry whisky he'd had before the raid alarms went off might have had something to do with it, but he thought it might be something more.

The doctors called it Dobrowski's Syndrome and prescribed anti-depressants but Richard believed that it was simply a label they put on something that they didn't understand. Steiners simply saw more, understood more. Some, yes, could not cope with that. It was understandable, if a weakness. Simon Steiner had even abdicated rather than face the pressures of the throne combined with what he saw. And perhaps knowing one's limits was a strength of its own.

Depression? Who wouldn't be depressed by the endless warfare that seemed to consume mankind? It wasn't pessimism, it was realism!

But he'd never felt this way before, not felt this sort of doom hanging over him.

"The Wolves have cut across the Jedborough bridge – if we push the pace, we can catch them at the junction of Atherton and Marsden," snapped Selvin Kelswa from the cockpit of his Atlas. "Are you with me, Marshal?"

"Move out." Richard punched the reactor activation button. Soon the cockpit would warm up and he'd no longer feel as if frigid worms were crawling around the inside of his coolant vest. He consulted his mental map of the city's layout. East of the junction, along Atherton Avenue, the road crossed another bridge, this one over a narrow, gullied stream that ran down from Palace Hill to the river. "I'll sweep down the Jaburo Stream in case they're trying to sneak any of their Headhunter teams up to the Palace, then hook up with your left flank."

"Good thinking. Do you want some support?"

Richard felt cold. "No, it's just a precaution and narrow as it is, if I run into trouble one 'Mech can hold that gully long enough for the Royal Guards to get here."

"I'll see you there then."

The Atlas lumbered out of the hanger and up the slope towards the palace end of Marsden Avenue, named for the long ago Archon who'd wed a Steiner and from whom Richard could claim descent. After the Duke's Mech came the rest of his personal guards. With the Archon's blessing, Duke Kelswa had been able to fill them out to a full battalion of upgraded 'Mechs – Ausf R models only but they had numbers on their side and – at the end of the day, they only had to hold until the Third and Fourth Royal Guards RCTs could bring substantial forces to bear.

Richard marched his Zeus into the brief gap between the Second and Third companies of the Kelswa Guards and then dropped out of line as they turned onto Marsden Avenue.

In the dark it took precious time for him to find the end of the Jaburo stream. He had to use his searchlight in the end, turning it on to look and then off again to avoid drawing attention to himself. The Wolf aerospace fighter cover had withdrawn for now but it would be all too easy for them to descend again.

The gully was hard going as it deepened. The massive feet of the Zeus made it stable on most ground but here he was having to jam one foot against either side of the v-shaped gully, sometimes even bracing it with the muzzle ends of each arm.

I'd better not get stuck here, he thought. It would look bad – as if I was hiding. But…

No. He wasn't here to hide. Every shadow looked like a threat until he reached it but something, that heart-felt conviction that he was sure his ancestors had followed, told him that there would be danger here. A danger that might consume him but… "Just me," he said out loud to himself and then checked self-consciously to make sure he'd not transmitted that.

A Marshal of the Federated Commonwealth shouldn't be out scouting alone, he thought. Kelswa should have had this gully blocked off. It's too narrow for most 'Mechs but Elementals could use it and since I've got this far it can't be impossible to come up the same way, just…

He broke off as weapons fire lit up the night.

Not too near him – off to the west. Duke Kelswa must have found the Wolves – or vice versa. Am I in the right place or have I made a mistake?

Richard took another heavy step and then froze as he saw metal emerge from the shadows, lit briefly by the flare of moonlight from above.

Clan Elementals!

Stabbing both arms of the Zeus forwards, Richard opened a general broadcast channel. "Clan Elementals in the Jaburo gully!" Then he pulled the triggers of his joystick and fired everything he had down the stream.

In the older models he'd piloted for most of his career this would have brutally overheated the Zeus but despite the significantly expanded weapon payload, the Zeus Ausf S's double-heatsinks could control the surge in internal heat. Extended range lasers slashed through the Elementals, who were already beginning to scatter as much as they could in the narrow confines of the gully, bounding left, right and towards him on their jump jets. A stream of cluster ammunition tore into them, gouging at the surprisingly thick armour wrapped around each infantryman and then the paired LRM launchers spat their volley into them.

It was enough firepower to have slaughtered an entire company of conventional infantry caught in these confines but despite this the Elementals kept coming, their SRM launchers firing as they came into view and picking away at his armour.

Stepping back would have been courting a fall and forwards would take him directly into their clutches so Richard held the Zeus steady and continued to fire into them as fast as his weapons would cycle, only slightly aware that he was shouting something wordless but defiant.

Elementals were falling now, but not enough and the first reached him, claw seizing the metal plates over the Zeus' left knee and jamming its laser into the joint.

Richard swung the autocannon in his 'Mech's left arm directly down and delivered the full force of its loaded ammunition directly into the top of the Elemental's head.

The distraction allowed two more to close, one on the right shoulder, separated from the canopy of his cockpit only by one of the ridges of dorsal armour that gave the Zeus its distinctive silhouette. Richard fired off the LRMs mounted in his right arm again, sweeping the arm from side to side so as to spread the salvo across the Elementals. Then the arm was torn apart as the ammunition bin detonated – the Elemental must have thought it was firing into the ammo feed but Defiance Industries had moved the entire ammunition assembly into the arm, where it could be screened from the systems of the torso by cellular storage.

The detonation ripped the Elemental into multiple fragments but more of them were crawling all over the Zeus now and at this close range, torso mounted lasers simply couldn't bear.

Richard moved the selector switch on his autocannon – cluster rounds simply weren't sufficient – and brought the autocannon around to bear as yet another of the infantry arced towards him on its jump jets. The Elemental suit disintegrated under the anti-Mech rounds.

Then there was a crash and Richard hurled his hands up over his face instinctively as the canopy tore open. It was a poor move he realised as shards dug into his bare arms. His head was already protected by the neurohelmet.

For a moment he thought the Elemental looming over him would simply empty the machinegun built into its arm through the canopy and finish him. Instead though, it kicked the breach in the canopy wider and jabbed its clawed arm into the control panel, disabling the 'Mech.

Panting, Richard watched the lights of his secondary screens reflect off the grey-white paint covering the Elemental armour. The tinted visor made it impossible to see the face behind it.

Then the machinegun lifted and levelled at his face. The neurohelmet would do nothing to save him from that, not at this range.

"Tell me where your commanders are."

Richard felt certainty. This was why he was here. Behind him, in the command centre, Cynthia Franks and Lynn Zellner were coordinating Tamar's defences. If the Elementals reached them, not only the planet but the central leadership of the entire Tamar March would be left in disarray.

The doom was for him – but in embracing it, he could spare the rest of the Federated Commonwealth.

"I am Marshal Richard Steiner," he managed between dry lips. "I am commander of the Benfled Operations Area." Two truths. "You will find no superior officer on Tamar." And one lie – although only half a lie since if they stopped looking now they certainly wouldn't find any others.

The Elemental stared down at him.

"Why is a Marshal here, alone?"

Richard grinned challengingly. "Why would a Clan Wolf Headhunter unit look for a Marshal here in a minor gully?"

The Clan warrior barked viciously and after a moment Richard realised it was a laugh. "Who can argue with victory?" Then the claw reached down and started to tear away Richard's safety harness.

.o0o.

 **Tamar Drop Port, Tamar**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **30 November 3050**

It was well past midnight when Vlad marched his battered command through the broken gates of the Drop Port's perimeter security.

The signs of a past battle were clearly in evidence – two 'Mechs lay where they had fallen and trickles of smoke still rose from an Armoured Personnel Carrier. Vlad was glad that his canopy was intact since otherwise he'd have to smell what was burning – possibly the remains of infantry aboard the APC – and he still had no confidence in the stomach of the technician behind him.

Near the control complex a pair of Wolf Hunter 'Mechs were standing on guard. Both bore the marks of combat – one missile launcher on the Lupus was a blackened ruin and the Wakazashi assault 'Mech was not only scarred by laser fire but also the grey-white paint had been almost completely covered in black stains.

"What did you do to your 'Mech, Ranna?"

"Some of the security force here were carrying inferno SRMs." Ranna seemed entirely calm about the matter, despite the subject.

Inferno warheads preyed upon the vulnerability of 'Mechs to high temperatures, coating the target with napalm. Although the weapon was mentioned in older SLDF records, Vlad hadn't encountered them until the Wolves invaded Rasalhague. He'd seen an unwary MechWarrior's Adder ablaze from head to toe, the MechWarrior unable to eject without exposing himself to the fire or to move his 'Mech until it had cooled enough for the reactor to be restarted. Two industrial 'Mechs with improvised weapon packs had smashed open the cockpit before Vlad and the rest of the Star could respond.

"You seem to have seen action yourself. Something new to boast of to your next opponent in the Trial of Bloodright?"

Vlad felt a smile creep across his face. "We have our prize. Now tell me, Star Captain Ranna, do we have a dropship?"

"We do, but it isn't a 'Mech transport." She raised the arm of her 'Mech – it was a squat, ugly machine of a Jade Falcon origin but Ranna appeared quite fond of it during their brief opportunity to train for this mission – and indicated a large aerodyne dropship near the end of the further of the two runways. "The techs I brought are pre-flighting it now but we don't have time to secure 'Mechs in decks designed to hold tanks."

"You mean we must abandon these antiquated pieces of scrap? How will I live with myself?" Vlad jogged the Woodsman over towards the dropship. "You, get ready to get out," he ordered the technician. "Then report aboard that dropship."

"Aff, Star Colonel." The technician started unbuckling himself and almost bashed his head on the back of Vlad's seat.

The warrior groaned and reached out, unlocking the canopy. "Star Captain Samis, take charge of loading the Elementals and our prize."

"We do have room for four 'Mechs in the aft bay," Ranna added. "I will be loading this one personally. If you don't want to keep yours that is your decision."

"You captured the dropship, it is fair that you choose the four 'Mechs." Vlad shook his head. "Do you have anything set up to dispose of the rest?" There were only seventeen other 'Mechs with him – the Kelswa Guards had fought ferociously until Vlad destroyed the Atlas fighting in the lead and helicopters had taken out two of the survivors before Egil's Glass Spider brought them down.

"Park them on the other runway, pull the reactor safeties and eject," replied Ranna. "It will tear up their runway and I have a couple of jeeps ready to pick up you up and bring you aboard the dropship."

Vlad nodded. "Good work. And Carew?"

"Fuelled and on his way down." Ranna's voice shifted to teasing. "If he got here before you I would not have waited."

Ranna recalled the other ten surviving 'Mechs of her Trinary while the Elementals bundled the captured AFFC officer aboard the dropship.

Walking the Woodsman into position, Vlad watched the woman march the Wakazashi up the aft ramp of the dropship. She'd picked Madison's Marauder and Byron's Warhammer, along with a Highlander from her own trinary to complete the load. They were the four heaviest surviving 'Mechs, which made sense.

The other twenty six 'Mechs stationed themselves at safe spaces along the other runway and Vlad checked his ejection systems before reaching back and opening the panel covering the magnetic containment circuitry. Quickly and methodically he yanked the circuit boards loose and felt the temperature rising as the reactor shielding was no longer protected from the direct heat of the fusion reaction. Safety warnings howled and he slammed his free hand on the over-ride.

Two circuit-boards left.

One.

Vlad snapped his arm back around without even releasing the circuit board he held and punched the eject button.

The canopy blew away and then his chair rocketed up and out of the Woodsman. Below him, the reactor finally lost containment and sucked in enough air to trigger a violent explosion that blew the seventy-five ton war machine apart.

Vlad looked at the circuit board in his hand and then discarded it as his chute deployed. On some level it was a waste to destroy so many functional 'Mechs. On the other, since they could not be taken with them on the dropship, by doing this he was denying them to the enemy.

Down below, a jeep was collecting the other ejected 'MechWarriors as they came to ground. In the distance he could see a column of blue and gold 'Mechs and tanks entering Tamar City.

Mission complete. It was time to leave.

.o0o.

 **Tenth Lyran Guards Headquarters, Baker 3**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **7 December 3050**

"We are here, Hauptmann Kai."

Stirring from a doze, Kai rubbed his face and realised he must have dozed off in the passenger seat of the jeep he'd borrowed. "Thanks Diana."

She pulled over at the guard hut and they presented their ID.

"Hauptmann Allard-Liao – it's an honour," exclaimed the guard. "I guess you're here for Legendkiller."

"Uh… yes." Does everyone know it's here?

"We kind of figured that with the Tenth shipping out soon you'd be here. You'll want Hanger Seven. Would you like me to call ahead for you?"

Kai blinked. "Uh… no, that's fine. Have a good day."

"I didn't realise us getting redeployed was such big news," he muttered once the jeep was out of the guard's earshot.

"Rumour is the only thing faster than a jumpship," Diana told him wryly.

He chuckled. "Even among the Clans?"

"Aff… that is, yes."

Hanger Seven wasn't one of a dozen largely identical workshops set up for repair and restoration of damaged 'Mechs – or one of the stores set up to contain the wrecks of machines that were as likely to be stripped for parts as they were to be put back in service. It was an operational hanger and Diana had to park the jeep thirty metres away to be out of the way as a mixed lance of Commando and Wolfhound light 'Mechs exited it to start a security patrol.

The technical crew who'd evidently been about to move on to their next job came up short as Kai walked in. "Sorry, sir, if you're looking for Ober-Leutenant Hale, she just left on patrol."

Kai shook his head. "No, I'm just here to pick up my own 'Mech." He looked around and spotted a familiar shape in one of the rear-most 'Mech bays. "It looks as if someone's been taking good care of it."

"Your 'Mech?" The technician shook his head. "Uh, sorry, there must be some mistake. That Rifleman's not open for assignment."

"He knows that, Scott." An older man walked out of the small office section of the building. "That's Kai Allard-Liao you're speaking to."

"Oh! I'm sorry sir! I didn't recognise you."

Kai was beginning to wonder what sort of reputation he was getting outside of the Tenth Lyran Guards. "It's not a big deal."

The older man pushed his arms into the sleeves of his coveralls and shrugged it up and onto his shoulders so he could zip it up, revealing a Stabsfeldwebel's epaulettes. "Don't mind the kid – he's got a good hand with myomers even if he forgets to salute officers sometimes when he's supposed to. Not now," he added as the younger man raised his hand. "We're in the workshop, I meant in general." He shot Kai a 'what can you do?' look.

"Anyway, I'm glad to see you found a leg for my 'Mech. I was half afraid we'd need to truck it onto the dropship tomorrow."

"Not a bit of it. In fact, since we had the chance, we've done some work and you should find it better than ever, sir!"

"How do you mean?"

The Stabsfeldwebel gestured for them to follow him back to the bay. "Well, for one thing there's all that Ausf S armour available now that the newer 'Mechs have so we've refitted with…" He trailed off as he saw Kai had paused and was examining a poster secured to the framework of the 'Mechbay. "Oh, look I can explain…"

"'Take your picture with Legendkiller'," Kai read out loud. "The famous 'Mech of Gray Noton, Justin Allard and Kai Allard. 5 to 8 daily, 1 kroner fee'." He looked up. "Really?"

"Well some people are interested, and if people came in just any time then it was disrupting work."

"Isn't this a secure facility?"

"Well there's a lot of people on a military base – I don't let them in and it's not my job to check ID."

"He is not supposed to do that, is he?" asked Diana, reaching for her sidearm.

Kai caught her wrist. "Easy, Diana. Not the answer here." He sighed. "Look, Stabsfeldwebel…"

"Schultz, sir."

"Mmm. I figure I could ask at the gate and get a pretty good idea how many visitors you've had for this… tourist attraction, and by extension how much you've made off it."

Schultz grimaced. "Couple of thousand, near as dammit."

"You made two thousand kroner off letting people take photos of themselves with my 'Mech? I admire your initiative – did you go to Blackjack?"

"No sir. Those amateurs get caught often enough to get a reputation."

Kai laughed. "Look, there really are people who want to kill me just because of my parents. You make a thousand kroner donation to the widows and orphans fund and we'll say no more about your little off-market business, but I'm going to need a full security sweep of my 'Mech before I take it out of here."

"Sir, I swear to God I wouldn't have let anyone meddle with it."

"It's not what you'd have let them do, Stabsfeldwebel, it's what they might have snuck past you. So while we're checking Legendkiller from top to bottom, you can tell me about the improvements you've been making."

Schultz sighed. "Fair enough, sir. Alright lads." He whistled to his team. "We're going to give the 'Mech a going over with a fine-tooth comb before the Hauptmann leaves."

As the technicians began moving cherrypickers into position, the Stabsfeldwebel gestured up towards the chest of the 'Mech. "The first thing we did, sir, was pull the entire engine and fit one of the reactors from one of the Clans' Mad Dogs that was brought in as salvage. That gives you about a twenty-five percent boost to your maximum speed and you're still two tons lighter overall."

"Those are bulkier, aren't they?"

"Yes, but they come with those wonder heatsinks and we moved the ammunition store and the heatsinks in the torso out to the arms and doubled them up with the spare tonnage. So you've two tons of autocannon ammunition and you can't tell me that extra cooling jackets isn't going to help you. You Mechjocks live and die by handling temperatures, right?"

"I see. And you were talking about armour?"

"Ah, yes. You're used to seven and a half tons of Ausf R ferrofibrous armour – well, we replaced the weapons too with the lighter models – dead convenient that salvaged lasers from the Clans are compatible with our own systems still - and now you've got another ton of armour, all of it Ausf S grade. You're still not packing the most armour of any 'Mech this size but I reckon it's just about as well protected as a Dragon would be."

"It sounds to me as if you've rebuilt Legendkiller from the engine out."

"Well… it was here for major repairs, sir. And the basic structure and myomers are all the same – not sure how useful they'll be with the extra heatsinks…"

"Somehow I think I'll be able to manage that." Kai scratched his chin. "Well, I guess you've earned what's left after you make that donation, Schultz. Now let's just make sure no one spoiled all your hard work."

.o0o.

 **Gamora, Twycross**

 **Jade Falcon Occupation Zone**

 **11 December 3050**

Elias Crichell and Vandervahn Chistu both looked up as Kael Pershaw entered the room.

"Kael, I did not know you were on planet." The new saKhan rose to his feet and shook the cyborg's hand unflinchingly. They were old comrades, a point in Chistu's favour when Crichell had chosen him to replace Timur Malthus.

"I come and go somewhat irregularly." Pershaw's face creased in something that might be a smile. "Most recently in checking on Clan Steel Viper."

"We have just been discussing how they might be deployed most effectively in breaking the deadlock on these worlds."

"My Khans, Natalie Breen has no intention of doing so."

Crichell frowned. "What do you mean? That was the entire point of activating the Steel Vipers as the reserve."

Pershaw reached into the holo-display that currently showed the leading edge of the Jade Falcon's advance. One silver world amid the green of their prizes marked the Steel Viper's base of operations on Apolakkia. He expanded the display slightly to show additional worlds in all directions.

"Khan Breen is taking the position that the Steel Vipers are obligated to assist in the conquest of the invasion corridor but that she is neither entitled nor obligated to intervene in ongoing Trials of Possession. As such, she intends to leapfrog the worlds where our touman is currently engaged and strike deeper into the Federated Commonwealth."

He touched controls. "I suspect collusion with Ulric Kerensky. There has been considerable communications activity with Rasalhague and while some of this may be a matter of coming to terms with ComStar, I doubt it's coincidental that the Vipers have decided to alter their plans. Not only will they be striking at Graus and Dompaire, but with the exception of units assigned to take those worlds, the majority of their Alpha and Gamma Galaxies will be directed to take Sudeten."

"Sudeten? Why there particularly?"

"A moderately significant industrial world," Chistu answered Crichell. "However, no more so than Twycross."

"It is possible the Steel Vipers intend to develop it as their major headquarters here in the Inner Sphere." Kael Pershaw folded his arms. "However, while I cannot verify if this is the information that Khan Breen has received from the Wolves, we do know that some of the units we have encountered on Baker 3 and Zoetermeer have been withdrawn and replaced with fresh troops. I queried ComStar and they have confirmed that the units withdrawn from both worlds are now stationed on Sudeten."

"So Breen expects weaker than normal resistance."

Pershaw shrugged. "In that the Steel Vipers have no experience of fighting the Inner Sphere, I would not view it in that light. However, they might achieve a certain amount of prestige if they were able to eliminate one warrior in particular."

Chistu frowned. "The only warrior we've encountered of note so far is… Kay Liao?"

"Kai Allard-Liao." Pershaw nodded in confirmation. "We have confirmed he is part of the Tenth Lyran Guards regimental combat team, which will be refitting on Sudeten for the immediate future. If the Steel Vipers manage to defeat him where we have not it would be… unfortunate."

"I think too much is made of this warrior. He defeated one freeborn warrior on Maxie's Planet and is simply one of many warriors who has fought against us on Baker 3." Chistu shook his head. "Let the Vipers gloat if they can defeat Allard-Liao. We have more to concern ourselves with the hundreds of AFFC warriors directly fighting us."

Crichell nodded unhappily. "We have called eight additional Clusters forward with the recent agreement to increase the invasion forces of each of the Clans. If the Steel Vipers are going to deny us support on the worlds we are still contesting then I do not see that we can effectively continue the invasion until they arrive."

His saKhan studied the map. "Even once they arrive, they will likely be needed as other Clans seek to deprive us of our conquests. It seems to me that we should consolidate our control of the worlds we already hold. The Federated Commonwealth have found that this 'defensive line' strategy is effective in hampering us so they will likely use it against the Steel Vipers. Let the Vipers pay in blood to learn how to counter it and we can then use this knowledge ourselves once our time comes."

"That watching is your responsibility, Pershaw." The Khan of the Jade Falcons sat back in his chair, looking at both his subordinates. "Vahn, you resolve our current conflicts so that we are clear to repel the Home Clans when they launch their campaign here."

"In the meanwhile I will continue the conversion of the local industries to support our touman and the indoctrination of the population into the way of the Clans. There is a wealth of resources here in the Inner Sphere, sufficient to catapult us into our rightful primacy among the Clans. Neither Khan Breen nor any other Khan will see their touman upon Terra in the next year. With our position consolidated, we shall sweep forwards and bypass them."

"Seyla," Pershaw and Chistu breathed in affirmation.

* * *

A/N: If you like Battletech fanfiction then I commend to you _The Ice Duchess of the Federated Commonwealth_ by  The Frozen Guy, which can be found on .


	8. Book 2, Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

 **Gray Death Legion Headquarters, Sudeten**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **25 December 3050**

Only a few hours before, the men and women in the command centre had been celebrating peace and goodwill to all men. Even the non-Christians among them found the concept appealing given the events of the year.

Now as they watched, the largest screen available displayed a swarm of green icons spreading out from one of the in-system pirate points towards the glowing golden dot that marked the world they stood on.

"Two warships, fifteen jumpships and more than fifty dropships," summed up Grayson Death Carlyle. The infamous mercenary colonel scowled at the display which fuzzed and then lost detail. "Another satellite gone?"

"Yes, sir. It looked like an aerospace fighter spotted it."

"You've faced the Clans before." Carlyle's wife and second-in-command looked over at General Kimmel. "What does this look like to you?"

"It looks like someone's making a major push, Lori. We didn't see that much shipping inbound on Zoetermeer." Sarah Steiner – a distant relative of the royal line – had been wounded before the Tenth Donegal Guards were pulled back to refit and her arm was still in a sling.

Alvin Kimmel nodded gravely. "It's more than we saw on Baker 3 too – I think we're looking at more than a Galaxy of their troops heading in. Hopefully they won't bid their full forces."

"From your lips to God's ears. We're not exactly as well situated as we were on either of those worlds – no offense to your troops, Carlyle."

"No offense taken." Carlyle was cycling through data-streams on one of the smaller monitors. "Check me on this," he asked one of the staff officers already working on the data. "I'm not seeing a match with anything."

"No sir. These aren't ships on the database from previous encounters."

"There are rumours that another Clan could be involving itself in the invasion," murmured Sarah Steiner.

"The Apolakkia report? That's not that far from here. Even if it isn't another Clan, there's a good chance we're looking at fresh troops."

Carlyle turned away from the screens. "All the reports suggest that an individual Cluster is about the equal of a single combat command, or perhaps half a regular RCT. From what we're seeing, we're going to be badly outnumbered."

"Should we hold or pull back? Olivetti are almost done loading their final shipment of tooling. Once that's gone, Sudeten has limited strategic value."

"My contract from the Archon is to defend Sudeten." Carlyle set his jaw stubbornly. "The status of the factories isn't a factor one way or another."

"It's a contract not a suicide pact," pointed out Kimmel.

Steiner touched the cast around her forearm. "At the same time, Defence Line Delta isn't fully active here. If we don't stop the Clans here they could hit it before the units behind us are dug in. On the other hand, if we can tie the Clans up here... they don't know the factories are empty. Fix them here and Field Marshal Franks would have the chance to move in reinforcements."

"It's possible... You'd want your dependants out of the way though, Carlyle."

"Can they be bargained with?" The mercenary looked over at his wife. "If we can negotiate free passage for a commercial convoy to leave then our families can leave along with the last Olivetti shipment."

"It depends on their commander. Their word is generally good when they give it, but they've been burned by making deals before – the Albiero business, for example. So they might simply not be interested."

"We'll have a better idea once they -"

"Transmission from the incoming ships, sir."

Steiner looked at Kimmel. "Batchall?"

"Sounds like it."

"Put them on the main screen," ordered Carlyle.

The display lit up and revealed a bearded face beneath a shaven scalp marked by what appeared to be angular tattoos. Beneath the face was a simple grey jumpsuit and the snake's head on the breast made it clear that this was no Jade Falcon.

"I am Perigard Zalman, Khan of the Steel Vipers. This world now lies within the coils of Sanra Mercer's Clan. Lay down your arms and surrender or declare what forces stand in defiance of our claims."

"Damn," muttered Kimmel.

"Steel Vipers, what do we know about them?"

"Most of our sources don't reflect any fondness for them." Kimmel pointed at the screen. "And you see those markings on his head? He's had neural interfacing fitted – it's supposed to improve control of a 'Mech but it runs a risk of brain damage during the surgery or even afterwards. Even most Clans think it's going a bit too far. If the Steel Vipers elect someone with that as a Khan they're likely to be quite extreme."

"I suppose we can try." Carlyle tapped a control. "Khan Zalman, this is Colonel Carlyle. I am preparing my forces to defend Sudeten. Do you object if I remove elements of my command not committed to the defence from the star system?" He adjusted the controls again. "Okay, send that on the same frequency they used."

Kimmel moved over to another console. "I'll have the Tenth... my Tenth, the Lyran Guards, take up defensive positions around the Olivetti complex. I suggest you do the same with Trellshire Heavy Industries, Sarah. Both sites are fortified and with the Gray Death here, the Vipers will have to divide their forces to deal with three different strongpoints."

The Steel Viper reply was uncompromising. "Neg, Colonel Carlyle. I will permit your lucrewarriors to surrender your weapons and enter the civilian castes but I will not permit you to slip away to continue your banditry. You have your choices, now make your decision."

Carlyle looked over at the two Generals. "If they enforce a blockade with their warships then we don't stand a chance of slipping dropships past them."

"Then let's not give him any more information than we have to. Tell him we'll fight him with all the available forces of the AFFC." Steiner tugged at her sling. "I'm going to see if I can get anyone to take this off. I'll need both arms if I'm going to pilot my 'Mech."

.o0o.

 **ComStar Compound, Hilton Head Island**

 **North America, Terra**

 **29 December 3050**

Charles Seneca was increasingly wary when giving his reports to the Primus. He had won his place at the head of ComStar's intelligence apparatus by delivering results in the shadowy conflict between ROM on one hand and MIIO and LIC on the other.

Now it appeared the two intelligence agencies had been successfully diverting his attention away from the more critical secrets held by the Ministry of Intelligence that had eventually absorbed them both. It wasn't a fact calculated to inspire confidence in Seneca's abilities and those who did not have the Primus' confidence were unlikely to hold onto positions of authority within ComStar.

"As Precentor Martial Focht has suggested, there is no love lost between the Jade Falcons and the Steel Vipers," he reported. "Rather than breaking the deadlock between the Jade Falcons and the AFFC directly, the Vipers have elected to bypass the affected worlds. Graus and Dompaire have both fallen already, with only Sudeten holding out at this time. Previous data on the rate of Clan advances may not hold true, but if it does then we can expect a further wave of attacks by the Vipers before the end of next month."

"Clan Wolf is expected to advance as well – for the moment they are concentrating their efforts on the remaining worlds of the Free Rasalhague Republic but they'll shortly run out of Republican worlds to target. The provisional Rasalhague government on Skandia is already exploring options to relocate into the Federated Commonwealth as a government-in-exile."

"So much for the Free Rasalhague Republic," Myndo Waterly commented harshly. Having invested considerable political capital in leveraging its creation in 3030s she was now left with the appearance of having propped up a strawman, which had blown away in the first strong wind.

"Quite. At that point, Clan Wolf will have essentially bypassed both the existing Defensive line around Tamar and the new one being established around Benfled. It seems unlikely that Hanse Davion will assign more regiments to create a third line of defence in the Utrecht pocket when it would simply be bypassed. Our analysts suggest he will instead create an angled line of defence and hope to encourage the Wolves to focus on sweeping through less defended worlds and into the Combine. Such an advance into Buckminster and then the core-ward prefectures of Dieron District would be in line with their previous axis of advance."

"An axis of advance that would eventually bring the Clans to Terra." Waterly folded her arms. "While I have no objections to the Clans humbling the Federated Commonwealth, that would be a step too far, Precentor ROM."

"For now, the AFFC has been the primary obstacle to the Clans," Seneca admitted. "There seems to be no immediate prospect of the Jade Falcons resuming their advance. Losses are heavy on both sides but Hanse Davion has a reserve of regiments and the Falcons don't appear to."

"In fact, our last report from Focht indicates that the Jade Falcons have additional units, between a fifty and seventy percent increase in their strength, en route from their home worlds."

Seneca nodded, avoiding any obvious chagrin at the Primus having this information before him. "I look forward to seeing the Precentor Martial's report, Primus. His insight is a unique advantage."

"Yes, as I recall from when he had oversight of both the ComGuards and ROM." Waterly's eyes were hawk-like. "So much for the Clans' progress against the Commonwealth. What have you found out about Davion's hidden weapons programme?"

Clearing the previous data from his handheld terminal, Seneca called up the necessary files. "We have eliminated two of the six potential shipyard sites from consideration – the Gibbs Shipyards have had no serious investment prior to mid-3049 and the new developments at Shipil's yards on Skye are exclusively in the surface-based facilities where they are constructing new Overlord-class dropships."

"I was hoping you could locate where the shipyards are, not where they aren't."

"We do have a promising new lead on that matter. Several reports indicate that the armament of the dropships isn't constructed on site but instead shipped from Defiance. The prevailing assumption was that this meant Defiance Industries on Hesperus II, which certainly constructs such components for their own use. However, we've now confirmed that no such shipments have been made from Hesperus II to Skye."

Seneca brought up a star chart. "Defiance, in this case, is a fairly minor world deep in the Crucis March of the Federated Suns – a world that has seen a significant upturn in its interstellar trade since the mid-3040s and this trend has only increased over the last year. While it's hardly the only source of advanced weapons in the Federated Commonwealth, it appears to be the only one that doesn't have its own assembly plant, instead supplying components to other locations."

"And you believe that this is supplying components to the warships being refitted?"

"It seems probable. Of the other four potential shipyard sites, only Alarion is located in the Lyran Commonwealth so a site in the Federated Suns would make sense. In addition, Defiance has been importing materials that have historically been used in the construction of naval gauss rifles. While these are expensive to manufacture, their ammunition can be constructed on almost any world, unlike the shells for naval autocannon. This would make it much easier for the AFFC to hide the stockpiling of ammunition to support a warship fleet."

"What impact would replacing autocannon with gauss rifles have on the performance of the ships?"

"It would be difficult to replace them on a one to one basis due to the much larger size. However, according to the ComGuards naval arm, the refitted ships could have a significantly increased range, letting them engage other warships and even dropships from beyond the effective range of other armament choices."

"Can we refit our own warships in the same way?"

"That would be outside my field," Seneca replied. "I would expect it to take several years however and the more diverse armament employed on SLDF warships and the vessels we have assembled apparently has its own benefits in close range engagements. I've taken the liberty of sharing the possibility with our warship commanders so they can consider the tactical implications."

"Very well." Waterly turned around and walked to the window. Interpreting this as dismissal, Seneca bowed and backed towards the door. Before he could reach it, the Primus spoke. "Charles, there are presumably substantial shipments from this Defiance site to the regiments fighting the Clans."

"Now that we know where to look, we've identified convoys of dropships being moved through the Terran corridor for that purpose, Primus."

"And you could reasonably predict their routes and timing in the future?"

"Yes, Primus. With most of the AFFC's warships being used to move troops, they are utilising civilian shipping for secondary priorities such as this one."

"Good. Put together a data package with that information and keep it current. I'm sure that such a shipment would be useful to Theodore Kurita in arming his troops to fight the Smoke Jaguars. And, of course, Thomas Marik would want samples to reverse-engineer so that his own regiments are not left behind in this new arms race."

"In the latter case, the Captain-General might be open to a degree of cooperation with our own specialists," suggested Seneca. "The ComGuards' prestige rests to some degree on their advanced equipment so it would be undesirable for them to find that the House Lords are better armed than they are."

"That would violate our neutrality, Charles. Quite unacceptable. Although I will expect ROM to obtain access to the results of such efforts. Monitoring the scientific research of the Successor States is your primary responsibility, after all. And I am sure the First Circuit will have little patience with further failures..."

.o0o.

 **Trellheim, Sudeten**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **9 January 3051**

The distinctive T-shapes of Visigoth OmniFighters slashed down out of the sky towards the highway and Kai snapped the arms of Legendkiller up, checking the air-speed indicator his targeting computer had calculated and leading the spiky nose of the leading OmniFighter.

At other points along the road, Rifleman, Blackjack and JagerMech BattleMechs stepped out of the traffic but there weren't many of them left in the Donegal Guards and Kai's was the only air defence design in his company.

The Visigoths opened fire a fraction of a second before Kai positioned his crosshairs where he wanted them. They were carrying pulse lasers and laser fire raked along the column of trucks and combat vehicles.

Kai's lasers scored precisely where he intended – right where the forward canards met, at the cockpit. The autocannon rounds were slightly off-placed – one burst missed entirely and the second bit into the wing.

It didn't matter for this one – the Visigoth wheeled over into a dive and he saw the glow of fire in the cockpit before it was past him. Swivelling Legendkiller at the hips he tracked the other half of the Point and managed to tag its rear with one of the lasers before it was out of his range.

The other Steel Viper fighters were also withdrawing, but without air cover to deter them, Kai knew that they'd get themselves turned around and return for another pass.

He scanned the column. A Blackjack had fallen and he could see a second 'Mech in the Donegal Guards had also fallen although it wasn't clear from what he could see – just the legs – which one.

Two Patton tanks were smoking wrecks and so was an ambulance that had the bad luck to be between them during the strafing run. Diana was piloting the Hatchetman Kai had used on Baker 3 these days and as he watched she crouched the 'Mech, seized the front corner of one of the wrecked tanks and lifted it.

Seeing what she was doing, Kai walked Legendkiller up and kicked the rear corner of the elevated side. With both 'Mechs forcing it, the Patton rolled over and out of the way.

The second Patton was removed just as easily and the Manticore tank that had been blocked in by them simply ploughed the ambulance out of the way as soon as it was confirmed there were no survivors.

So this is what defeat looks like, Kai thought.

When the Tenth Donegal Guards broke out of the Trellshire Heavy Industries compound to make this run, they'd left their heaviest tanks and a regiment of infantry behind to cover their retreat – not to mention almost half a Regimental Combat Team of dead.

"This is Hauptmann Allard, Joker Company" Kai reported on what he hoped was still a secure channel. "We need air support or we're going to be cut apart out here."

"There are two squadrons launching now. ETA five minutes. Just keep moving."

Kai almost laughed. What else could he do? Instead he cut the channel with a curt "Out." and ran Legendkiller down onto the parallel side road. When the Steel Vipers returned it would probably be from that direction. He found the road was already being used by a secondary column of hover tanks but they roared swiftly past and left room for him to follow after the last .

The radar mount above his cockpit fed an update into his tactical display.

"Joker One, all Donegal Guards. Incoming enemy fighters from the north."

"Is there any other kind?" came a bitter joke from an unfamiliar voice.

Kai checked the radar. "Yes, but they're coming in from the east." Transponders ticked and now he had ID on them - "Donegal Guard Hellcats and Eagles, they won't get here before the next pass but this should be the last one."

The first Visigoth came into view and Kai stepped out onto a north-south running street, letting them see him but also opening up his own field of vision.

As expected, one fighter couldn't resist the target presented by a lone Rifleman. Kai held his fire as they dropped into range of his arm mounted lasers, let the pulse lasers track across him, carving into Legendkiller's armour but failing to penetrate. When the fighter was less than four hundred metres up he fired everything, including the chest-mounted medium lasers.

Caught in the barrage, the Visigoth pilot had to fight to maintain control. For a moment it looked as if he'd make it but he was too low and Kai's cluster rounds had damaged the control surfaces in the wings. An ejection seat rocketed up and out of the cockpit only seconds before the sixty-ton aerospace fighter sliced into the top floor of an office building and blew up, scattering metal, glass and concrete in all directions.

Another Visigoth pulled up into a loop that looked as if it might bring it down upon Kai but it had to twist away as AFFC fighters entered the fight. The Visigoths had an advantage in agility over the Hellcats and Eagles but the Donegal Guards pilots knew it and they weren't going to get sucked into a turning fight, instead slashing in with their extended range lasers and then dropping into ground cover to turn and single out targets for repeated closing attacks.

"Okay, we have air cover. Move it, people!"

The column was stretched out over several kilometres and Kai held his company at the edge of Trellheim, assembling them one at a time as they trickled out of the town, until he was sure that all the Donegal Guards were out and then moved after them as a rear-guard.

"It's another fifty klicks to Olivetti," Helen reminded him. "That's an hour at least, the Vipers are going to be crawling down our backs before we're halfway."

"It's a lovely image, Double-O, and that's why we're acting as a rear-guard. We're fresher than they are."

"Now that's a scary thought." Mackensen's Zeus was still soldiering on, lacking the upgrades that most of the company had received so far. "Because I don't recall seeing anyone as worn down as we are until I saw this lot – not even back in the Fourth Succession War."

"Put a cap on that, Stabsfeldwebel." It was true, but it wasn't helping morale.

Both factories were positioned on the same coastal plain with the road between them crossing intervening rivers at bridges that were invariably marked by towns. It wasn't the best of cover, but the rivers were natural barriers so the chase would almost certainly follow them across the same bridges. That meant the column flanks were probably safe enough.

"'Mechs to the rear," Diana reported quietly. "It's a mixed medium-star."

Kai looked around. The road was cutting through fields that were evidently planted with something. Not the best ground but there wasn't likely to be much else if they kept going – the Steel Vipers could almost certainly catch them before the next town. "Spread out, there won't be just one Star."

There were three Stars – fifteen 'Mechs – against the fourteen he could field, having built up to more than nominal strength after absorbing survivors of Charlie Company a week ago. Only the five Battle Cobras were humanoid in layout, with the others all more bird-like: three Stormcrows, three Shadow Cats and four Kit Foxes.

"Who seeks to deny the warriors of Clan Steel Viper their prey?" The transmission came from one of the Shadow Cats and Kai decided that was probably the Star Captain. Fortunately there didn't seem to be Elementals attached to this Trinary.

Every delay bought the column time to get closer to the fortifications around Olivetti Weaponry.

"I am Hauptmann Kai Allard-Liao," he declared. "My ancestor's name stands on the Star League Accords and I bear the legacy of Legendkiller. Who are you that challenges for right to pass this way?"

"I am Star Captain Justin Running-Elk. I have won Trials against Clan Ghost Bear and Clan Burrock. Since coming to this world I have slain four warriors of the Federated Commonwealth. I will be pleased if a descendant of House Liao can prove to be more of a challenge. What do you bid to bar our way?"

Kai highlighted the three Stormcrows as the primary targets – the largest and most heavily armed of the trinary. "I cannot deny any of my warriors the opportunity to battle. We shall all do battle."

"Very well." The Vipers fanned out into a line approximating that of Kai's own formation, one star focusing on each of the three lances. Since Kai's lance was only four 'Mechs strong, one of the Battle Cobras facing them stepped back, evidently expecting the Lyran Guards to engage one on one with this 'Mech to step in if one of the Vipers was defeated.

That wasn't the plan though and the Stormcrows were divided, one to a Star, which made it all the more convenient. "Fire!" Kai ordered and followed his own command.

The Stormcrow facing him staggered as lasers and autocannon tore into it. The temperature inside Kai's cockpit soared and his Rifleman surged forwards as the Lyrans charged into point-blank range.

Diana's Hatchetman was a hair faster off the mark and her autocannon barked again, tearing through one damaged flank of the Stormcrow.

The 'Mech toppled and Kai smashed Legendkiller's heavy foot into the opposite side of its chest. The Stormcrow struggled to rise but both arms – and most of its weapons – were clearly out of action.

A gauss rifle slug crashed against the armour of one of Legendkiller's arms, the hammer blow shattering most of the protection. "You honourless cur!" screamed Running-Elk. "I thought I was facing a true warrior."

"You're facing a soldier, and a damn fine one." Kevin Mackensen cut into the channel and then fire from his Zeus tore into the Star Captain's rear. The older weapons were more anaemic (although it felt slightly odd to say this of weapons that would have torn most buildings apart with little difficulty) than those on the Steel Viper 'Mech and at this range the veteran Stabsfeldwebel couldn't expect his LRMs to have armed, but against the rear armour of a much smaller 'Mech he still had enough firepower to rip deep into the internals.

The Star's two Battle Cobras rushed in but they instinctively divided their fire between Kai and Diana while Running Elk turned his own guns on Mackensen's Zeus. That left the one Kit Fox facing Helen's Hunchback, which wouldn't have been a great match-up even before she had her autocannon replaced with a modern assault-grade weapon.

Even with the numbers evened, the Lyran Guards weren't going to fight on the Steel Viper's terms and as Running Elk faced back against Mackensen – whose Zeus had more than enough armour to take the punishment – he had exposed his ruptured rear armour. Kai spared himself some of the heat in the cockpit and took one of his large lasers out of the firing circuit. The other lasers still carved deeply but it was the cluster rounds in his autocannon that were the killers, sub munitions from both guns penetrating deep into the torso and detonating inside where they shredded the gyro and the shielding around the Shadow Cat's fusion reactor.

As Running Elk's 'Mech fell, Kai checked and saw that the Kit Fox was trying to retreat – it had clearly been fitted out with anti-infantry weapons and electronics to aid in hunting down the fleeing Donegal Guards. Helen's barrage had smashed the left arm which had held a large laser and at least two machineguns, leaving it almost defenceless.

"Diana, take the Kit Fox." Kai wheeled Legendkiller towards the Battle Cobras. The one that had been firing on him had scoured away much of his already damaged armour. "And don't forget you have an axe!"

"Aff, Kai!" With the advanced myomers active, Diana's Hatchetman was fast enough to run down the light 'Mech.

The Battle Cobras were also trying to retreat but under the concentrated fire of Kai, Helen and Kevin first one and then the second 'Mech collapsed, the lack of cover working for the Guards this time. Kai saw Kevin deliberately kick at the cockpit of the fallen Shadow Cat.

Looking around, Kai saw that while the left flank was doing well, two of his company had fallen on the right – Oscar DuPree's Commando and Geraldine Jones' Centurion. "Support Second Lance," he ordered and braced his weapons. One autocannon failed to fire and he saw that the ammunition feed from the chest was damaged – he was lucky the ammunition bin hadn't taken a hit. Both lasers lashed and caught a Shadow Cat as it bounded backwards on its jump-jets. The agile 'Mech was already dripping coolant from existing damage and its IR temperature surged as it landed – engine damage. Limping it tried to continue to flee but LRMs from Ben Riley's Dervish finished it off.

The little battlefield went silent, except for the crackle of ammunition popping off and the flames that were slowly spreading across the crop. Kai absently moved Legendkiller to crush out a firebreak with his feet. "Roll call."

"DuPree took a cockpit hit," reported Ben Riley. "Geraldine's Centurion is a write-off but she punched out. Lucky shot to her ammo bins." The older Centurions still had badly placed LRM storage although at least moving the autocannon ammunition to the arms had halved the problem.

"No losses, one of the Battle Cobras made it out of range." Joie Shepherd said tersely. "Sorry, chief. It's missing both arms so we were focused on the others."

"I can catch it."

"No Diana. We're done here." Kai looked at his own lance. "We got lucky – they were dumb and overconfident. If we hang around then someone with more brains could catch up. Grab what you can for salvage and slag what you can't."

"What about survivors?" asked Riley. "They may not play nice as bondsmen – you know they won't call this an honourable defeat."

"We don't have time to deal with prisoners. Leave them."

"Sir…"

Kai switched Kevin across to a private channel. "I saw that cockpit kick, Kevin. Don't do it again." Then he flipped back to the company push. "They're a long way on foot from the nearest town and there are a lot of farms around here with locals who aren't going to be friendly towards them. Any of them who manage to get back to their base will have a first-hand look at how unwelcome they are here."

.o0o.

 **Wolf Hunters Headquarters, Engadin**

 **Wolf Occupation Zone**

 **3 February 3051**

Vlad looked up from the datapad he was working on and rose sharply to his feet as he saw who had entered. "Khan Ulric. I was unaware you would be arriving."

"Good. That may mean that the local insurgents are also unaware." Kerensky waved for the younger man to take his seat. "My congratulations on reaching the final round of your Trial of Bloodright. It's unfortunate that our operational tempo has deferred completion of the Trials."

"The Clan comes first," Vlad replied, hiding his irritation at that fact.

Kerensky's slight smile suggested that he might have seen through the façade. "Khan Dinour has almost completely dealt with the remaining forces of the Free Rasalhague Republic. The Ghost Bears have bargained for the right to take Halesowen and Maule, but once Delta Galaxy finishes the capture of the temporary capital on Skandia we will be free to devote our Clan's resources to other matters. Some of them more pressing than your Trial, although that is certainly one of them."

Vlad nodded his understanding. "The contested worlds."

"Precisely." Ulric steepled his fingers. "I've spoken to the individual commanders of our operations on all five worlds, but your Wolf Hunters have fought on four of them so you may have a better overview of the situation. We have been engaged in operations for months, how much do you believe that this has weakened the defenders?"

"Very little," Vlad admitted grudgingly. "They have well-prepared fortifications and stockpiles of munitions to support operations and since we have not entirely cut them off from off world contact, they can still bring in more material if needed. With a closer blockade we might be able to take those worlds but it will cost us, considerably."

"Ultimately, the continued fighting on the worlds is already placing constant pressure on our supplies. Fortunately the relaxation of bidding late last year freed our hand to some respect." The Khan grimaced. "Theta and Iota Galaxy can take over the garrison responsibilities that have absorbed Beta Galaxy's efforts for the last few months and they are escorting a large shipment of supplies we obtained from the Ice Hellions."

"What did the surats bargain for in exchange?"

Ulric raised one eyebrow. "In exchange? The so-called Hellion's Fury campaign may have impressed some of the Home Clans but it left their touman over-extended. Shistu Sradac took advantage of this and blooded the warriors of both Galaxies by striking at Londerholm and declaring a Trial of Possession for Ice Hellion shipping and their munitions stockpiles there."

Vlad laughed at the other Clan's misfortune. "With the warriors responsible out of the Home Worlds and their own strength already depleted with their recent temper tantrum, that should keep the Hellions busy - not to mention that the other Home Clans may find prizes more easily obtained than by sending detachments after our occupation zone. I have much to learn from the master, my Khan."

"The split between Warden and Crusader became obsolete the moment Operation Revival was launched." Kerensky's face was sombre. "I regret the outcome but no Khan - or Clan - prospers by ignoring such changes. And while no Smoke Jaguar, ilKhan or not, is ever likely to be an ally of our Clan, for the moment they have interests they share with us. The Ghost Bears' bargain with the Home Clans won the Jaguars almost nothing since their second round bid was so low, and it exposes them to attack both here and in the Home Worlds. Somehow I doubt the ilKhan was much moved by Khan Taney's outrage."

"In a more recent development, Khan Chistu has found a way to free up the troops to turn the tide on two of their own contested worlds."

Vlad frowned. "That suggests that the Falcons may be ready to resume their own operations once their reinforcements arrive."

"Potentially," conceded Ulric. "However, to concentrate the necessary forces he elected to withdraw the Clusters engaged on Dell."

"Perhaps he took advice from one of his Clan's bankers."

"Possibly. Although the presence of a regiment of the Wolf Dragoons may have turned the tide. Jade Falcon losses have still been considerable and even with the ability to draw on the Clusters assigned to Vulcan and Zoetermeer, it may take them some time to secure similar advantage on Parakoila and Baker 3."

Vlad spread the map of the invasion zones before him in his mind's eye. "Dell is adjacent to our own invasion corridor. In principle there is nothing to prevent us from launching our own Trial of Possession for Dell."

"Do you recommend that?"

Reluctantly he shook his head. "As much as it would be satisfying to seize one of the Jade Falcon's prizes, the world likely remains well defended. We would have to defer operations here in order to take Dell away from the Federated Commonwealth."

"That is my own conclusion." The Khan shrugged. "I have invited the Precentor Martial to let us know if the AFFC removes their garrison now that Dell is under no immediate threat and worlds nearer to Terra are under threat. If they do, then a swift redeployment of your Wolf Hunters might net us a prize and embarrass Elias Crichell."

"I take it that the end of the Warden-Crusader division has not made us allies to the Falcons, then?"

"Ah, Vlad. That feud goes back to well before the matter was even thought of by our ancestors. It would take more forgiving Khans than I or Elias Crichell to try to end that."

"I do not think I have ever encountered a forgiving Khan."

"Nor I. I do not think it is a trait that makes a warrior well suited to leadership." Ulric looked at the data pad that Vlad had been working on. "I take it you have no logistical complaints besides those you have already brought to my attention, quineg?"

"Neg. I would have hoped for more OmniMechs but Tamar showed that we can mix less specialised BattleMechs into our Stars without weakening our combat power. And given recent losses..."

"Aff." Ulric frowned. "I hope you will not be in the position of destroying twenty of our own BattleMechs again. Even with the Ice Hellion supplies, there are limits to the equipment losses we can sustain."

"I can only go where the assignments my Khan gives me take me." And if we had failed, we would have lost slightly more 'Mechs – and paid the bloodprice of the Dragoons' betrayal for you. "Besides, it is the fault of the Federated Commonwealth for not stationing a 'Mech transport at the drop port for Ranna to take possession of."

Ulric nodded. "A fair point. In any case, your next assignment should not involve departing so hastily from a world."

"Where do we strike for?"

"Radstadt."

Vlad's face must have betrayed some disappointment, for Ulric added: "You may have your chance to fight the Black Widow in time but for now I have decided to start at this end of the contested worlds and work our way past Tamar. While you and the 352nd Assault Cluster support an offensive on Radstadt, the rest of Beta Galaxy will be deployed to do the same on Stanzach. Once we have secured them we will do the same on Kandis and eventually Skokie and Moritz."

"And then Tamar, quiaff?"

"Neg." Ulric's voice was flat. "Your capture of Marshal Richard Steiner has given us access to some of the thinking behind the Federated Commonwealth's strategy. While details may change, regiments retreating from our Clusters are expected to fall back to Tamar – which is well fortified as you yourself found. Adding in additional regiments, however depleted, could make Tamar a target we would bleed our touman out to capture."

"While they retain it, Tamar is a base the AFFC can use to strike back at us from."

"It will also tie down at least four of their best regiments without costing us a single warrior or OmniMech. No, we may tighten the noose around Tamar to remind them of the threat we pose to the world – and the Jade Falcons and the Steel Vipers will play their own part in that whether they wish to or not - but once we have secured the contested worlds we will resume our advance on Terra."

.o0o.

 **Olivetti Weaponry, Sudeten**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **19 February 3051**

Kai stepped Legendkiller back behind cover as the rest of his lance combined fire upon the incoming Steel Viper heavy 'Mechs. It stung him to have to let them fight without him but the loss of the primary air defence radar a week before had made his own array one of the very few available to the Tenth Lyran Guards, feeding targeting data not only to his own guns but also those of a battery of Partisan heavy tanks that were using their quad-mounted autocannon to keep the west side of the factory complex from becoming an open target to Steel Viper aerospace fighters.

"Heavy push, heavy push!"

Kevin's voice cut off sharply and Kai's jaw tightened as telemetry from the Stabsfeldwebel's Zeus cut off.

A moment later, Helen's voice clarified. "Joker One, this is Joker Trey. We have heavy and assault OmniMechs with Alpha Galaxy markings coming in behind these clowns from Zeta."

"Message received, Trey. Get behind cover." He switched to the regimental net, already alive with reports of heavy fighting on three sides of the complex. "HQ, Joker One. We have Alpha Galaxy heavies and assaults moving on our position. They used their secondline clusters as cover for their own advance."

"Understood, Joker-One. Stand-by."

"Stand-by for what? We need the reserves," Kai half-shouted, realising he was losing his temper. "We're down to one company out here!"

"Kai." It took a moment for Kai to recognise Caradoc Trevana's voice – the Kommandant had broken his leg ejecting during the first real push on their position. "The reserve is already committed to the south flank. I'm cutting you priority for what's left of our artillery, but that's all we have for you."

He took a deep breath. This was it then. "Understood, Doc. I'm going to need to use our Partisans to prop-up the line so air defence is going to be..."

"Do what you need to."

Kai switched channels to one that everyone on the west side of the factory should be listening to. "All units, mount up. The Clans are going to breach the perimeter in the next few minutes. When they get through, we're going to focus everything we have on them as they try to punch through the breaches. All infantry, break out the infernos. Anyone with a working TAG, punch your data straight through to RCT artillery reserve, we have priority."

There was an expectant silence.

What do they want me to do, to make some inspiring speech out of the movies?

Helen's voice broke across the channel. "Hauptmann, permission to sing."

"I didn't know you could."

"Just this one. I learned it from a Northwind Highlander."

As the Partisans crawled into covered pits, exposing only their turrets to the Steel Vipers, Kai saw what was left of Joker Company forming up inside the complex walls, joined by a trickle of tanks and personnel carriers, infantry hanging off the sides.

Recorded bagpipes keened across the radio.

"Oh god, not this one," complained Kevin Mackensen.

"With all due respect, shut up, Stabsfeldwebel." Helen raised her voice. "~Axes flash, broadsword swing,~"

Rather than waiting for the wall to be breached, a pair of Shadow Cats soared over it on jump-jets. Kai shifted his crosshairs over the one on the left and triggered the lasers and autocannon. At least for now, the Partisans followed his lead and almost twenty medium autocannon pounded the medium 'Mech, tearing through its armour.

The 'Mech cartwheeled forwards and crashed cockpit first into the ground. The second Shadow Cat landed safely and fired its gauss rifle and both lasers into Diana's Hatchetman. Conserving ammunition, the former Jade Falcon fired only the Hatchetman's lasers as she counter-charged it. The Gauss Rifle barrel was visibly bent out of line with the rest of the weapon after she brought the hatchet down on the weapon.

"~ Shining armour's piercing ring.~"

Kai was fairly sure that he recognised the song from his youth – two regiments of the Northwind Highlanders had been stationed in the St Ives Compact when he was a boy and their officers had made appearances at the ducal court, bringing with them their customs that had once been an exotic delight at the Capellan court, his mother had told him. He could only remember one line of the song though.

The compound wall shook under the pounding of Steel Viper weapons. Then artillery missiles arched inwards from what must be batteries located somewhere outside the factory. "Do the Steel Vipers even use artillery?" asked Ben Riley in surprise.

"Evidently." The explosions tore into concrete and then another impact shook one of the weak-spots that had been created.

"~Horses run with polished shield,~"

With a crash, the wall collapsed and the Steel Viper assault 'Mech that had shoulder charged it stumbled through the breach, trying to get its footing on the debris.

The layout of the 'Mech was very much that of a Phoenix Hawk, but far too large. Rather than firing weapons from its arms, the 'Mech unfolded autocannon from pods either side of the hips and blazed away at the concealed Partisans.

It was doing damage but nothing critical – the tanks could take some pounding in their position. The pair of Warhawks that strode through after it were another matter though. Helen and Kai opened fire at almost the same moment that infantry rose up from foxholes and fired a rough volley of SRMs.

"~Fight those bastards 'til they yield.~"

The Phoenix Hawk-like 'Mech – the warbook insisted on tagging it with that designation despite a mass that must be over seventy tons – stepped into the SRMs and fire wreathed it as the napalm warheads struck its thick armour.

The Lyran artillery fired a salvo but it struck further south where a second breach was being responded to by Kai's third lance and the available light tanks – which were far from ideal for this sort of slugging match but what else was there to do?

"~Midnight mare and blood-red roan,~"

One of the Warhawks turned in Kai's direction and he saw that like his Rifleman, each arm ended in a pair of muzzles. Unlike his own armament though, all four guns were extended-range PPCs. The Steel Viper MechWarrior used them judiciously, firing one from each pair and then waiting a few seconds for the 'Mech to cool before using the other weapon in each arm.

The shots hammered into Legendkiller like the wrath of an angry god. Without the repeated upgrades, he'd have been unable to withstand it. As it was he concentrated his own fire below the slab of dorsal armour that characterised the Warhawk's profile. If he could rattle the pilot with cockpit hits...

"~Fight to keep this land your own.~"

Helen charged into the Warhawk, assault autocannon firing into its side. Diana joined her, the two medium 'Mechs vastly outweighed but the point-blank savagery of their autocannon enough to stagger even the mighty assault 'Mech.

There was a second Warhawk though and it was fitted with a more diverse weapon payload. Diana's Hatchetman staggered under lasers, autocannon fire, SRMs and LRMs. The right arm, with its deadly hatchet, dropped to the ground.

"~Sound the horn and call the cry,~"

The first Warhawk dropped the muzzles of one arm's PPCs against the chest of the Hatchetman and when it fired the two particle beams blew through the armour and even punched out of the rear of the 'Mech.

Kai screamed the one line of the March of Cambreadth he could remember: "~HOW MANY OF THEM CAN WE MAKE DIE!~" and charged Legendkiller forward into the Warhawk. Extending the muzzles of the 'Mech's right arm like a lance he drove them forward to spear into the cockpit canopy of the Steel Viper 'Mech and then triggered the autocannon, gutting whatever might have survived the impact with a long burst of shells.

The Warhawk fell back and Kai stood in the breach for a moment, smoke clearing to reveal a full binary of Clan OmniMechs formed up to follow the assault 'Mechs through the wall.

Every one of them could see Legendkiller. He hurled the Rifleman aside before a massive volley could obliterate it. As it was, the shots carried away what was left of his 'Mech's right arm.

The other Warhawk turned and he saw Helen's Hunchback fall, both legs severed as the Steel Viper poured fire into the much smaller 'Mech.

The Partisans were still firing into the enemy Phoenix Hawk, but nothing – not the autocannon or the flames that still outlined it like some ancient pagan god – seemed to be able to stop it.

Kai swept his crosshairs across the Warhawk and then kept turning so he could empty all remaining weapons into the Phoenix Hawk's rear armour. Explosions lit it up again but when they cleared he saw that the shots had only smashed the jump jets mounted along the rear like an infantry jump-pack.

The Warhawk fired again and Kai's damage display monitor went red as armour was pulverised under the barrage. He was still upright, somehow.

A Crossbow and Mad Dog entered the breach, the Mad Dog stalking on after the Phoenix Hawk, shoulder-mounted launchers salvoing SRMs into the Partisans. The Crossbow turned and raised both arms to unleash its own missiles into Legendkiller.

Then a Cataphract landed on it.

Kai blinked. No... that had really happened.

The Cataphract, painted in the colours of Ishara's Grenadiers, fell to its knees beside the breach before struggling upright again. The Crossbow tried to do the same but the Capellan MechWarrior stamped one foot down on the slightly smaller 'Mech's head.

More 'Mechs were raining down, all in the same colours, weapons firing as they softened their landings with either integral jump-jets or jump-packs they jettisoned as soon as their feet were on the ground.

Apparently as surprised as Kai was, the Steel Vipers hesitated.

Then a Centurion ripple-fired LRMs into the Phoenix Hawk, getting its attention, and then unleashed the assault-grade autocannon built into the right arm dead centre into the larger 'Mech's chest, knocking it off its feet.

The Phoenix Hawk staggered up but the Centurion lashed out with its left arm and three fingers of its hand were capped by long talons which drove into the rent in the chest and emerged along with about half the gyro.

"Cassandra?"

The Centurion dropped the gyro parts and threw a jaunty salute at Kai. "Hi, looks like we got here in just the nick of time."

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm attached to Ishara's Grenadiers now." His sister waved Yen-lo-Wang's one hand, somehow managing to encompass the entire situation. "We're your reinforcements. Kamakura's Hussars are here too, but they're going to be supporting the Grey Death Legion."

Kai winced. Well, any port in a storm, even if neither regiment – and certainly not one of his sisters – would have been his first choice of reinforcements.

Then he raised Legendkiller's remaining arm and fired into the Warhawk drawing a bead on Yen-lo-Wang. "Welcome to Sudeten," he said grimly.

Cassandra turned her 'Mech and the two siblings combined their fire on the Steel Viper 'Mech, joined a moment later by the Cataphract.

.o0o.

 **Asgard, Tharkad**

 **Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **10 March 3051**

"I think we have to assume that Defence Line Gamma is no longer a practical barrier to the Clans," Nondi Steiner said formally to Ardan Sortek.

The Marshal of the Armies of the Federated Commonwealth rubbed his head and wondered how much of his hair he'd have left by the time this was done. It wasn't as if he hadn't already accrued a considerable bald patch by the end of the last war. "I'm inclined to agree. Fortunately, the Steel Vipers aren't displaying many signs of learning from the mistakes of the Jade Falcons so they're bogging down on Line Delta, but at the current rate, the Wolves and Jade Falcons will have finished taking the worlds they bogged down on by the end of spring."

"Of course, that raises the question of what we should do about that."

The two Marshals studied the map in front of them, the golden territory of the Federated Commonwealth eaten away by the efforts of the Clans. Worlds currently contested glowed with the orange of fire. "Defence Line Delta is already compromised by the collapse of Rasalhague resistance," Nondi concluded. "Something like three regiments of the Kungsarme have broken free but they aren't really combat-worthy even if we could count on them to take our orders."

"Provisionally we can station them at Kelenfold," Ardan proposed. "That's our principal command and supply centre behind Delta so we can at least feed them for now. If the politics work out we can move them forwards once they're reorganised or if the Clans try to hit Kelenfold I suppose they'll stop a PPC as well as any other 'Mech regiments."

"Do we just pull our own regiments off the line now?" he asked. "If we move now, Cynthia Franks could pull all the defenders off Parakoila, Baker 3, Skokie, Moritz and Kandis before the Clans reinforce their forces there."

"I don't want to give them up easily, but we can start preparations by having non-critical supplies and personnel withdrawn. Along with positioning dropships for an evacuation of frontline units when the time comes."

"It's going to be messy. I don't think we can count on even the Jade Falcons to offer hegira after six months of fighting."

Nondi shook her head. "No, I wouldn't count on it. Do we commit assault dropships to cover evacuations?"

"No, I think we still need to hold them back. We're probably not going to have any significant warships to engage the Clans when we're ready to counter-attack so we'll need as many assault dropships as we can field. But authorise nukes for use if they try to interdict the evacuations with warships."

"I'll want Melissa to confirm that, Sortek. I know what she said earlier but the Estates-General will fret and it'll be easier to manage them if we have this spelled out."

"Do you want to contact her directly or shall I request specific authority from her when I send the next update?"

"I'm fine with you getting that."

"Thank you." Ardan made a note. "Now, we talked about withdrawing to Tamar but with the Steel Vipers cutting into us that's turning into a salient. I think we want the regiments fighting the Jade Falcons to regroup on Morges rather than trying to ship them past Sudeten."

"That... makes sense. But you're still happy with the regiments on the other three worlds using Tamar as their fall back point?"

"Yes – although depending on the situation, we might then pull at least one more regiment to Laurent. With the way the pocket is forming, we may need to secure it as a supply base."

"Shall we leave that to Franks?"

"She's doing a good job so far, I think we can trust her judgement. Speaking of which, it's probably time to consider whether she should move her command post back off Tamar."

"Unfortunately that's politically unacceptable. I'd be happier with it myself, but Selwin Kelswa would consider it a prelude to evacuating Tamar and he was bad enough before the Wolves raided." In order to rebuild the Kelswa Guards, the Duke had gone so far as to commission a quillar farmer called Cox to head a battalion of armed AgroMechs. The only good thing about it was that 'Kommandant' Cox had a brain and was listening to 'advice' from Field Marshal Franks as much or more than than he did to 'orders' from Duke Kelswa.

"Wouldn't it be nice if we could fight a war without our supposed allies hindering us?"

The Steiner laughed derisively. "Shall we look out for unicorns and gryphons while we're at it? Such creatures are no less fantastical than a war without politics getting in the way."

"Fine. Franks remains on Tamar for now but if they get landed on we have to worry about ComStar cutting off communications – or at least bumping up their rates for traffic to and from there, the way they did on Sudeten. After all, military communications aren't exactly neutral material. Pain in the ass that we lost control of the town around the HPG station."

"We could deal with that. But yes, it's a card we don't want to play yet. And while I'm thinking of that, do we put Sudeten in the same position for withdrawing? It seems stable enough now that the Capellans have landed."

"That does seem to have taken the wind out of their offensive, even though those regiments only have four battalions between them." Ardan scratched his bare scalp again and then yanked his hand away again once he realised what he was doing. "There was an interesting analysis on that – the presence of Capellan troops fighting to defend a Lyran world may have impacted the Clans' morale disproportionately. They'd had time to adjust for AFFS units being deployed out here, but adding the Capellans to the Federated Commonwealth may be giving this more of the appearance of a united front forming against them."

"Appearances can be deceiving. If Thomas Marik would just stop shuffling regiments along our border I could free up at least forty jumpships for our logistics." She sighed. "And yes, I certainly don't think we should send more reinforcements. The repercussions of losing the ones we already have there would be bad enough. I'll send Grayson Carlyle a personal message telling him that preserving his troops and the other units deployed is more important than trying for a last-stand if the Steel Vipers launch another major offensive against his positions."

"I'll have Justin pass on a similar message to his children. The Capellans are twitchy enough without the succession being disputed."

Nondi looked at the display again. "You mentioned launching a counter-attack earlier – how serious are you about that?"

"We're not getting any more ready and signs are that the Clans have brought in at least some level of reinforcements. I've mentioned it to Hanse in principle and he's of the opinion that a concerted push against one Clan to force them out of the Inner Sphere could break the momentum of the invasion as a whole."

"Unless you're planning to campaign as far as Rasalhague, that would rule out the Wolves as a target and the Ghost Bears or Smoke Jaguars would be even more difficult from a logistical perspective."

Ardan nodded. "Absolutely, it would have to be the Jade Falcons or the Steel Vipers. They both seem to have comparable military forces available, the key issue is that the Vipers have their forces concentrated on only a few worlds while completely shattering the Jade Falcons would mean fighting on more than thirty worlds."

His companion nodded. "I don't like the potential casualties of hitting the Steel Vipers head on, but with a significant number of regiments already committed against the on Dustball, Benfled and Sudeten the logistics would be much simpler. There are probably enough regiments in the reserve that we've built up in the Donegal March but the shipping would be a nightmare. Something like five multi-regiment task forces to transport through their occupied worlds, not to mention we would need to pin their frontline Clusters in place or we could wind up fighting for the same worlds over and over again."

"I agree the Steel Vipers look like the best prospect right now. We'll need to see how they employ the reinforcements arriving, but all indications are that they couldn't expect significant support if things turn against them. So let's have our staffs start looking at the possibilities. If they keep feeding their forces into Defence Line Delta then we might be able to pin their best troops in place while we swing in and liberate the worlds to their rear, then overwhelm them on the ground by reinforcing the Defence Line."

"It's at least worth considering," agreed Nondi thoughtfully. "It would also reduce the pressure on Tamar if it's no longer at the end of a narrow salient."

.o0o.

 **Forbidden City, Sian**

 **Sian Commonality, Capellan Confederation**

 **18 March 3051**

Sun-Tzu Liao had been woken by gunfire in the halls of the Forbidden City before. At least this time he wasn't being evacuated by someone of questionable loyalty.

By the time anyone tried his door, he was behind the heavy wooden desk on one side of his apartment and strapping a ballistic vest on over his dressing gown. He crouched, holding the submachine gun that he'd kept in the same drawer as the vest. "Who is it?"

"Your sister sent us, Prince Sun-Tzu."

He nodded in understanding and switched the selector switch of his gun to fully automatic. The gun was shockingly loud without ear-protection but he raked short bursts through the door and then through the wall to either side at around torso-height. Neither the wooden door nor the lathe and plaster walls would stop the armour-piercing ammunition he'd obtained. Hopefully, nor would whatever body armour the men outside were wearing.

Without waiting for any response, he headed for the window. If his sister's agents were alive, the walls would be no more protection for him than they would be for the attackers.

Three paces before he reached the window, a shotgun blew the lock out of the door. In an Immortal Warrior action movie, Sun-Tzu would have simply dived through the glass of the window. However, unlike the interior walls of the palace, the window was made of the same advanced materials used in the canopy of 'Mech cockpits. If he tried anything so foolish, all he'd do was concuss himself.

Instead he pulled the lever to open the window and then lifted the pane out of the window, having removed the corner pegs that should have prevented this.

The two Death Commandos who entered the room, prepared to execute Chancellor Kali Liao's treacherous brother, were greeted by an incendiary grenade and Sun-Tzu curled in a ball behind the window pane.

The window pane protected the young Liao from white phosphorus that the grenade scattered across his sitting room. Body armour that had absorbed even armour-piercing small arms fire was much less effective against burning metal.

Without looking back, Sun-Tzu pushed the window pane over and scrambled over the window ledge. Fortunately, the building had a pagoda-style roof so he was able to roll down the angle of the roof without simply tumbling off the edge as there was a slight lip at the bottom.

Panting, Sun-Tzu looked around as he reloaded his gun – only one spare clip, what had he been thinking? – and saw shadowy giants moving through the Palace Complex. BattleMechs and he could not assume that they were friendly.

A rational coup d'état would centre upon the security barracks, the communications centre and the Chancellor's apartments. Since Kali was involved, the throne room would also be secured even though it would inevitably fall into the hands of whoever came out of the power struggle on top. Where to go, where to go?

Movement in the gallery on the other side of this garden caught his eye and he saw two figures running through it. It was too far to make out who they were but the party that burst into sight pursuing them wore turbans… His mother's Thuggee cult, almost certainly part of Kali's faction.

Sun-Tzu aimed the submachine gun carefully and then raked the Thuggees with more short bursts. The recoil was hurting his wrists – probably the awkward angle, he hadn't had this problem on the shooting range. Shooting from the shadows, his targets probably didn't even see him before they fell.

The two who were fleeing were also out of sight – shot? Perhaps, or simply taking cover. In any case, if they were Kali's enemies they might be allies of convenience. And he had just expended his ammunition so he needed a reload or at least a replacement weapon.

The young man rolled off the edge of the roof, catching hold with his hands for a moment to swing down and dangle before letting go and landing in the flowerbed below.

He could also do with some boots in the place of these slippers, he noted as he stood and then ran across the garden, crossing the ornamental pond by deftly using the stones that crossed it as footholds, just as he had as a boy.

Most of the Thuggees were dead and Sun-Tzu lifted the sidearm their leader had been holding to complete the job. One lesson his mother had taught him that served well: don't leave a living foe behind you. Then again, wasn't that her mistake with Candace? Well it wasn't for want of trying.

"Cousin?"

He snatched up a carbine from where it had fallen and turned to see Kuan-Yin peering out of an open door. Like him, she wore a light robe over her nightclothes.

"Sun-Tzu?" A second face popped into view – Victor Steiner-Davion, a small pistol in one hand and wearing MechWarrior shorts and boots. Well, at least they were intended for use in combat.

"Indeed." Sun-Tzu bowed slightly and lowered the carbine. He noted that the Steiner-Davion did not lower his own weapon. Well, perhaps tonight was teaching him a valuable lesson in caution. "If you plan to shoot me, Prince Davion, please get on with it. Otherwise I will be seeing if one of these men has boots my size."

"Victor," hissed Kuan-Yin.

"I don't recall having an itemised list of who is on whose side here. We know his sister is part of this but…"

"My dear sister doubtless deems me a traitor and an unnatural son of our mother for visiting New Avalon and coming to terms with your father." Hasty comparison of feet turned up two probabilities and Sun-Tzu pulled the boots off the first candidate. "Besides which, only one of us could sit on the Chancellor's throne and she never likes leaving loose ends."

There was a sigh. "Okay, point there. Keep your head down though. Someone fired from across the garden and -"

"Yes, that was me." He frowned, testing the fit of the boots. "I know the guest quarters are on this side of the palace, but how did you get over here from your own rooms so quickly, cousin?"

There was no reply but Kuan-Yin's cheeks were flushed when he looked up.

"Ah." He had to fight down the instinct to turn the carbine back on the Davion. If nothing else, it wasn't like the man was a polished seducer. Too much the bluff soldier, or at least that was what he wanted to be. "There are 'Mechs on the grounds – probably from the Death Commandos' secondary cache. I recognised one of the men in my own rooms."

"Then we need our own 'Mechs."

"I was thinking more of a discreet exit," Sun-Tzu suggested diplomatically.

"Are you absolutely sure that you know one your sister doesn't? She must know at least one that Candace didn't to get her forces into the palace"

"A good point. And with 'Mechs?"

"The best counter to subtlety is direct action – do you think the Red Lancers can be counted on?"

Kuan-Yin nodded. "It seems likely, they were entirely compliant once House Imarra switched sides to mother. And if they have not, we have both Imarra and the First St Ives Lancers stationed nearby."

"Then let's get ourselves inside some ferrofibrous armour."

"Very well." Sun-Tzu pointed to the end of the corridor. "There's a short-cut to the 'Mech hangers this way. I'm sure Kali knows of it, but whether it's guarded…"

Victor shoved his pistol into the waistband of his shorts and then picked up a rifle from the floor. "And one for the lady?"

"Yes." Kuan-Yin was careful not to stand in any of the blood pooling the floor. "The flechette gun there, please."

As it happened, the route wasn't guarded – Kali must have some limit on how many men she had been able to bring into the palace – and Sun-Tzu slid a water-colour to one side, finding the control that opened a hidden panel in the wall. It was only waist high but none of them was excessively tall. Behind the panel was a stairwell.

"This opens at the back of a maintenance cabinet," Sun-Tzu warned as he closed up the panel. "Be careful opening it – it'd be easy to knock over tools and draw attention."

He followed them down. Hmm. Both ahead of him, moving side by side. It would be easy… but then he'd be alone against Kali and besides, Candace had three other children. No, eliminating them now would be completely unproductive.

At the bottom, Victor opened the hidden door with surprising deftness, reaching past it to secure the tools leaning against what seemed simply to be the back wall of the closet-sized space.

As he stacked them carefully out of the way, Kuan-Yin slipped gracefully past him and listened at the door before opening it a crack. Then she pushed it closed. "Three guards here – none in 'Mechs. And the hatches for our Victors are still secured."

"I'm not sure what you're set up with…"

Sun-Tzu shook his head at Victor's implied question. "I don't have the passphrases for any 'Mechs stored here. Candace was understandably cautious about that. In any case, my MechWarrior training is fairly basic. Whoever my sister has in her 'Mechs will be Death Commandos, the Confederation's elite."

"Great." Victor took a deep breath. "Okay, one step at a time. There are three of us and three of them. Kuan-Yin, where are the guards once we're through the door?"

"One at the main entrance from the palace, one covering him on the gantries above and the third is nearest, right at the controls for the 'Mech doors." She raised the flechette gun. "I should deal with that one, this doesn't have much range."

The two men nodded understanding. "Then the gantry one is mine," Victor decided. "No offense, Sun-Tzu, but this has most reach."

"But less punch." Sun-Tzu tapped the laser carbine he held. "Shooting from below this would be better – you deal with the one at the palace entrance."

The Davion considered and then shrugged. "You know this place best, we'll do it your way. You'll need to go out first though to get any sort of angle."

"Another argument in my favour since I'm wearing body armour." He bared his teeth slightly. "You must learn to dress for the occasion, Prince Victor."

"When we get out of this, you can give me some tips. Okay, on three." Victor took the door handle.

"On three or after three?"

He glared slightly. "On. One, two…" Victor yanked the door open. "Three."

Sun-Tzu ran out the door, raising the carbine. Main entrance there, best covering position on the gantry was…

There was the crack-hiss of a flechette gun.

There! Sun-Tzu fired, dropped to a crouch behind a stanchion, aimed and then fired again as Victor's rifle filled the chamber with the smell of cordite and the rattle of automatic fire. The guard on the gantry was flat against the grille floor after the second shot but Sun-Tzu fired again, aiming for the throat, just in case.

"Dammit!"

He looked around, seeing both the other targets were down.

Victor dropped the rifle. "I think he might have reached the alarm panel."

Useless. "Well, you were last out of the door." Sun-Tzu started unstrapping his vest as he went for the steps that would take them up to the cockpits. "Too late to worry about anything now."

"Wait." Kuan-Yin joined them, having pulled three cooling vests out of a cabinet next to the one they had entered through. "You'll need this even in the back-seat."

"Thank you, cousin."

Up on the gantry, Sun-Tzu considered which 'Mech to ride in. Kuan-Yin's grey-green colour scheme would draw less fire but Davion evidently needed more supervision.

"Come on," Victor caught his elbow and pulled him towards his 'Mech.

Well, decision made. "Don't touch me." He threw his vest over the edge of the gantry, peeled off the dressing gown and paused at the hatch to push his arms into the cooling vest. The heavy kevlar and plastic was uncomfortable but being broiled alive inside the 'Mech would be much worse.

Victor entered the hatch first and started the process of activating the 'Mech while Sun-Tzu climbed in after him and managed to cram himself into the folding seat behind the Prince. The view was terrible, his knees were crammed up and the safety harness was considerably less useful than that Prince Victor was buckling around himself. Still, as the hatch closed and the interior of the cockpit built up a slight over-pressure (making his ears pop), Sun-Tzu realised he was safer than he had been since he was woken less than an hour ago.


	9. Book 2, Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

 **Raven's Peak Caldera, Radstadt**

 **Wolf Occupation Zone**

 **18 March 3051**

Raven's Peak wasn't quite an active volcano but nor was it entirely asleep. The circular caldera was a suitable size for this Circle of Equals and the surface was mostly solid enough to bear the weight of a 'Mech – although treacherous in places according to a local Scientist specialising in such matters. It was also very very warm.

With Cynthia Ward still on the Clan Home worlds – although she had been called out of semi-retirement to act as an on-hand commander for the remaining garrisons as more and more warriors were called forwards – the responsibilities for overseeing the Trial of Bloodright fell to Star Colonels John Ward and Lara Ward, depending on which of them could be spared from the fighting. Sometimes the pace of activity was such that neither Delta nor Alpha Galaxy could spare a Star Colonel, leading to long delays between rounds.

It was also the reason that Vlad and his opponent, Star Captain Nygel, would not be facing each other in frontline OmniMechs. The fighting was consuming the resources of the Clan with frightening speed, something Vlad had only become aware of when he took command of the Wolf Hunters. As such, the Khans had pressured the Bloodhouses to draw on alternative sources of equipment for the Trials, even something as sacred as the Trial of Bloodright. The two warriors had been equipped with two of the last Panther BattleMechs constructed at the factory on New Oslo.

The factory would hopefully soon be constructing more capable machines, although the rebuilding and upgrading of their equipment was going slowly. Meanwhile machines such as this, slow and armed with inferior weapons were filtering into regular use among the garrison units as more advanced units were hoarded by the frontline galaxies.

"Both of you have proven yourselves as exceptional warriors of Clan Wolf," announced John Ward from where his Ice Ferret was perched on the rim of the crater. Directly opposite the Oathmaster's position, a small group of Spheroids held cameras to record the Trial for posterity and for the enlightenment of the Clan's new subjects. While the thought had irritated Vlad at first, he accepted the merit in Ulric's argument: the spheroids would only become part of Clan Wolf by learning their ways and there was no better teacher than example.

"Either you Vlad or you, Nygel, would be a fine addition to the Bloodnamed of House Ward and to our Clan's Council. But only one of you, the best of you, will win that honour. And only combat can decide who is superior."

"Seyla," they both whispered from their cockpits.

"Skill, warriors! Let battle commence!"

The distance between the two Panthers was six hundred metres, just barely over the maximum effective range of the PPCs they both carried. Nygel closed in as rapidly as his 'Mech's engine could manage, bringing the range down immediately. Vlad instead moved along the side of the caldera to where his 'Mech's legs would be covered by a boulder that had tumbled down from the rim at some point in the past.

When they fired, Nygel's shot clipped the top of the boulder and scattered shards of rock across Vlad's armour, which was a negligible counter to the attenuated strength of the particle beam once it reached Vlad, searing armour above the missile launcher in the Panther's chest.

For his part, Vlad's shot would have scored directly on Nygel's missile launcher if the other warrior hadn't shielded it with his left arm. The shot stripped away all protection on the limb but it was of no real significance – there were no weapons in the arm to be damaged.

He's good, conceded the leader of the Wolf Hunters. But he substitutes aggression for cunning.

Vlad ducked his Panther to the left, waited for Nygel to adjust his aim and then fired his jump-jets right before the other warrior fired. The PPC's bolt crashed against the side of the caldera and the SRMs that Nygel had fired – somewhat optimistically – also missed.

Rather than firing back, Vlad continued to move from cover to cover along the edge of the caldera, a course that would take him under John Ward's position before much longer.

"Have you lost your courage!" challenged Nygel as he turned his 'Mech towards Vlad's new position. His PPC spoke again and this time it slashed into the right leg of Vlad's Panther, tearing away armour from knee down to ankle.

Vlad didn't reply verbally. He returned fire judiciously and his shot caught the other Panther squarely in the triangle between missile launcher, cockpit and the 'Mech's right shoulder. The shot didn't quite penetrate but it came close and any strike there now could cause crippling damage.

The two 'Mechs were now well within SRM range – little more than a hundred metres between them. Nygel closed the distance although he was proceeding more slowly now.

Has he remembered caution? No, I think not. Vlad broke from cover suddenly, charging into point-blank range before his opponent could adjust.

Nygel's PPC lashed out in what could have been a lethally effective shot with the weapon's he was used to – but Inner Sphere PPCs had focusing issues inside one hundred metres and were significantly less powerful. Although the shot caught Vlad's faceplate, it barely scratched the armour and the worst damage he took was sparks and a secondary monitor failing as the fuse blew.

Vlad fired his jump jets, too close to really clear Nygel's Panther, and one knee crashed against the overhanging armour above the other 'Mech's missile launcher.

The targeted Panther crashed backwards onto the caldera's floor while Vlad, expecting the collision, was able to land upright, although he had to drop his left arm to brace off.

At a range of less than ten metres he launched his SRMs into Nygel's Panther.

One missed entirely. Two crashed against the remaining armour and fire wreathed the Panther as the inferno SRMs splashed napalm across the already overheating 'Mech.

The final SRM hit the breach created by Vlad's earlier shot and spread the burning gel into the shoulder joint, the coolant system – and all too near to the missile launcher and reactor.

Nygel kicked the legs of the Panther, trying to get a foothold so he could brace to stand. One heel cracked the ground beneath it.

"You might want to refrain from doing that," Vlad warned darkly. "It seems you've found a weak spot in the caldera floor." He fired his SRMs again, sparing himself the heat build-up of the PPC which would cripple his own 'Mech as easily as it might Nygel's.

Crossing the central caldera, where the temperature was highest, firing his PPC constantly without realising that the ancient design of heatsinks would have barely coped with that in a more temperate environment. And now soaked in blazing napalm.

Nygel was a good warrior – but he was not a great warrior. And Vlad was more than merely a warrior. He was a leader. Now all he needed was the acclamation of his rights to Conal Ward's bloodname.

He received it as Nygel ejected, the canopy exploding outwards and the ejection seat arcing out across the caldera.

Vlad was tempted to raise his PPC and fire a snapshot to remove Nygel before the other warrior could become a problem. But he refrained. It would, perhaps, be problematic to have that deed be Clan Wolf's image towards their new subjects.

Besides, if Nygel kept being so reckless, the AFFC would undoubtedly take care of him for Vlad.

.o0o.

 **Forbidden City, Sian**

 **Sian Commonality, Capellan Confederation**

 **18 March 3051**

Kuan-Yin had her 'Mech moving a few seconds before her fiancé did – although he did have to get Sun-Tzu settled, which might explain it.

A warning light lit up and she glanced down, seeing two men entering through the palace entrance. Both carried what were evidently SRM launchers. So the alarm had been sounded – either that or someone was alerted by the slow opening of the doors that would allow their 'Mechs out into the palace grounds.

For a moment, Kuan-Yin wished she was in an older model of the Victor, the one with the anti-infantry machine guns. Still, if wishes were being granted she would have had others to take priority. The massive autocannon in her arm roared – that would alert anyone in the area but there was no more time – and the two men and their weapons simply disappeared under the brutal hammering of a weapon that would have eradicated even a Clan elemental.

Victor's red-white-and-blue Victor moved past her and out the door of the hanger. "You'd better talk to the Lancers," he advised over the channel still set up from their last training session. "I'll cover our position from here."

"That seems prudent," she agreed and switched to the local military net. House Imarra would likely be aware already of the problem since their infantry had been supposedly securing the palace. "Colonel Elias, this is Kuan-Yin Liao. Do you read me?"

"Your Excellency, I do. What is the situation at the palace?"

This could be ticklish. "Colonel, my mother is out of communications, possibly dead. In my brother's absence I hold the regency for St Ives, and thus for the Confederation as a whole. Rebel infantry and BattleMechs are inside the palace perimeter. We require the Red Heart Guards to subdue the rebels before they make further progress."

"My regiment are mobilizing now," he responded. "May I ask who is responsible for this rebellion?"

"According to my cousin, Sun-Tzu, his sister Kali has been implicated. It appears she has inherited her mother's ties to certain religious sects and to surviving elements of the Death Commando battalion."

"Thank you, your… Celestial Ladyship."

Kuan-Yin felt the tension in her shoulders relax, if only slightly. Being formally addressed by one of titles associated with the Chancellorship strongly suggested that Colonel Elias would be bringing the Red Lancers regiment, sometimes known as the Red Heart Guards for their role in defending the Chancellor, in on her side of this developing crisis.

"Will the St Ives Lancers be moving as well?"

"Yes, Colonel. To avoid confusion, I am ordering them to secure the city and the drop port. The palace itself is your objective."

"Thank you. Our first BattleMechs are on their way now."

"Carry on." She checked her surroundings again and then used the hand of her Victor to push a stack of spare armour plating across to block most of the door. Alright, the St Ives Lancers channel should be this one…

On her third attempt to reach the command post she managed to make contact with Major Bothel of the First Battalion. "Colonel Seng's quarters burned down this evening," he reported grimly. "No doubt part of the plot. Don't worry, your Excellency. We're on our way to the palace now."

"That is appreciated, however the Red Lancers are already on their way. I need the St Ives Lancers to secure the drop port and the rest of the city. It's likely that -"

"With all respect, your Excellency, it isn't clear that your mother is dead. Her safety, and yours, is our first priority."

"Our first priority is ensuring that the government of the Confederation doesn't fall into the hands of Kali Liao," she snapped. "If mother is alive she can reprimand me later. If she is not then Kai is the heir and I am simply a spare."

Bothel sighed. "Ma'am, the Red Lancers worked for Romano until just a few months ago."

"They also know the palace best. Major, we need to keep this matter from escalating. Kali will be moving to take control of other government buildings and she won't be limited by what she can smuggle through palace security. The St Ives Lancer's responsibility is to make sure her forces inside the Forbidden City don't deprive us of the instruments of government."

"This isn't a matter of St Ives against Sian any more, it is a matter of Capellans working together. Now, can I count on you for this?"

There was a hesitant silence and Kuan-Yin tried to recall the names of the other battalion commanders in the St Ives Lancers.

"Very well, Chancellor. Please remember that if we're spread out to secure the government buildings, we could be engaged piecemeal by… rogue elements."

"Since my fiancé and I have the only confirmed loyal 'Mechs in the palace at this time, I think you may presume that I am sensitive to the possibility of betrayal, Major Bothel. We shall all have to play our part. Out."

Speaking of other 'Mechs… Kuan-Yin eyed the two Vindicators and the Warhammer currently occupying bays inside the hanger. It really would be unfortunate if someone was to turn them against she and Victor. She placed her crosshairs across the knee of one Vindicator and triggered both lasers. The beams pulverised the protection on the limb but she had to shoot again before she was sure it was severed, crippling the medium 'Mech.

Deliberately, Kuan-Yin did the same to the other Vindicator and then turned her lasers on the Warhammer in the same way. "Victor, the Red Lancers are moving to join us and the St Ives Lancers are going to secure the other government buildings."

"I suppose that's politically sound, although I'd have preferred the other way around." She heard his autocannon firing.

Somewhat more faintly, she heard Sun-Tzu comment: "Be glad that there are two loyal regiments on hand."

"Yeah, you're not wrong," Victor admitted. "Now… sonofabitch, this guy's good."

"I'm on my way."

Kuan-Yin spared a kick for the Warhammer, finishing the job of breaking its leg, and then brought her Victor out onto the palace grounds.

Victor's 'Mech was soot-stained and parts of the armour had been fractured but it stood over a broken Phoenix Hawk and she could see a Raven, the core of the chest torn open by lasers and autocannon fire, fallen into one of the small ornamental lakes.

The current problem though was a Hermes II that was darting back and forth, sniping at Victor with its chest mounted autocannon. The much smaller 'Mech was relatively little threat to the towering assault 'Mech but it was an irritant and diversion from the more serious threat posed by a pair of Ostsol heavy 'Mechs tramping towards them with careless disregard for the carefully tended trees and shrubbery of the garden.

Kuan-Yin moved up to shield Victor's flank. "Ignore him for now," she advised. "He can't get around behind us now I'm here." Then she triggered everything she had at the leftmost Ostsol.

The lasers bit into the thick armour of the 'Mech's egg-like torso but didn't penetrate. Her autocannon chewed one arm apart entirely and while one of her missile launchers didn't lock, thus sparing her some of the heat build-up from her alpha strike, the other marked the Ostsol with four SRMs. The machine kept standing though – Ostsols were notoriously tough – and returned fire, concentrating its lasers on Victor.

She grimaced – that decision might be because Victor's 'Mech was nearest, or already damaged, or in the colours of a Davion Guards regiment… but it might also be orders to capture her alive. Which, judging by what she knew of Kali Liao, would mean a death full of torment.

"Be careful, Victor, you seem to be their main target."

"Well, it's a knight's job to protect his lady."

Kuan-Yin flushed but she kept her voice light as she fired again at the Ostsol, this time withholding one laser to let her 'Mech cool. "Oh, have you been knighted since we last met?"

"It's just a minor detail." Victor targeted the same Ostsol and between them they were finally breaching the thick armour. It wasn't stopping the Ostsol though and it was even moving to screen its comrade from any fire they threw at it, deliberately soaking up the hits to let the other Ostsol close in.

The Hermes II was moving around and if it got much further, Kuan-Yin wasn't going to be effectively screening Victor's rear armour any more. "I think we'd better go back-to-back. We're surrounded."

Victor angled his 'Mech obediently. "Uncle Morgan told me once that all that meant was having a really wide target selection."

"Well, he would know." This was the same 'Uncle Morgan' who had stormed this very palace in 3029, rescuing two Davion spies – Kuan-Yin's father and a man called Alex Mallory – and unexpectedly also allowing Candace Liao to escape to St Ives with Justin, leading indirectly to their current predicament.

Since backed against Victor she couldn't see the Ostsols, Kuan-Yin instead aimed her lasers at the Hermes II. Both missed as the 'Mech smoothly ducked. "Oh, I see what you mean."

This MechWarrior was willing to fire at her although the medium autocannon would have a hard job penetrating the Victor's armour.

"He must be one of the Death Commandos."

"Could be." All the enemy 'Mechs had a mix of black and green camouflage, which wasn't all that effective in palace grounds but also didn't betray any particular affiliation. She fired again and missed with one shot although a second slashed away one of the 'wings' on the head of the Hermes II, wrecking the sensor and communications systems that it contained.

Behind her, the first Ostsol finally fell. The second had worked its way close enough to open fire with its medium lasers as well as the two large ones. That would push its heat dangerously but in the short term it could do a lot of damage. "Switch?"

"Okay."

They both hit their jump jets in a move they'd practised in the simulators – each spinning up and to the right, landing where the other had been standing. Besides looking pretty, as Quintus had derisively described the move, Kuan-Yin and Victor had sufficiently different 'Mech handling styles to confuse an opponent – and of course, it let them shift a more damaged 'Mech like Victor's in this case, out of the heaviest fire.

Landing almost exactly where Victor had taken off from – exhaust from their jump-jets mingled between them – Kuan-Yin stabbed her autocannon out at the Ostsol and fired cluster rounds at it, following up with SRMs. None of the shots did very much damage but they all did some and it was also distracting.

The targeting computer picked out that the damage was slightly heavier on the right side of the Ostsol so she shifted her shots slight to that flank before firing her lasers. It was pleasantly effective and armour shattered under the shots - it really was like cracking open an egg, she thought wryly.

"Got him!" Victor hadn't dropped the Hermes II – she could still see it was upright, but he had managed to land some more shots at least and the lasers on a Victor were far more damaging than the autocannon that the other MechWarrior was working with.

Finally overcoming whatever reluctance it had to firing on her 'Mech, the Ostsol dragged Kuan-Yin's attention back to him with all four of its forward lasers. The salvo left it relatively sluggish but in general it was more agile than her Victor anyway.

She opened up with high-explosive rounds in her autocannon and the shells ripped open the already damaged right flank of the Ostsol, depriving it of half its lasers. The 'Mech fell but it clearly wasn't a kill – it was still trying to right itself.

Checking for more targets before she advanced to finish it off, Kuan-Yin saw an indicator coming in from above.

"Fighters!" she shouted, backing up –

\- and then lasers lanced down and stabbed the left side of the Ostsol. If that hadn't finished it off, the barrage of autocannon fire that eviscerated the centre chest certainly managed to.

Two Transit aerospace fighters in the colours of the Red Lancers swept across the sky, the powerful ground-attack fighters breaking formation to sweep outwards and look for more targets.

"Oh no you don't!"

She looked around and saw the Hermes II had broken into a run for the edge of the palace, clearly recognising that this cause was lost. Victor's shots tore into its rear and Kuan-Yin added her own to the barrage.

The explosion of the 'Mech's ammunition bins punctuated the moment, as Red Lancer 'Mechs started to spread out through the palace grounds.

.o0o.

 **Wolf Hunters Headquarters, Radstadt**

 **Wolf Occupation Zone**

 **21 March 3051**

"Star Colonel Ward."

There was a childish part of Vlad that he suspected would never be tired of hearing himself be called that – well, the last part anyway. He certainly would have no complaint if… no, when… the time came to be addressed as Galaxy Commander or Khan.

"Star Captain Ranna," he greeted her. "I do not recall any scheduled business this morning."

"There has been a shipment, sir. One that requires your personal attention."

Vlad eyed her ill-concealed smile and then closed down the files he was working on. Honestly, there was relatively little for him to do at the moment – the Wolf Hunters were in reserve while elements of Alpha and Gamma Galaxies fought on Kandis and every material need that was likely to be actually provided had arrived while he was fighting his Trial of Bloodright.

That only left only training and preparation to be done so his work had been nothing more earth-shaking than the latest Watch reports on the strength of the Federated Commonwealth's touman. He suspected, reading between the lines, that the interrogators were still wringing more details out of Marshal Richard Steiner.

"Alright, Ranna, where is this shipment?"

She led him down to the 'Mech hangers where a disproportionate number of the Cluster appeared to have gathered, including more than half the Elementals who would usually have little or no business in this part of the base.

Was the shipment going to be the target of some informal Trial of Possession between his subordinates? Vlad's pace quickened. The last thing he needed was to spoil his ascent by having to report a melee between his warriors had reduced the Wolf Hunters' readiness…

Then he saw what had arrived and came to an abrupt halt, eyes widening.

Ranna turned as she realised he'd stopped. She wasn't even trying to hide a proud smile. "Star Colonel Vladimir Ward, I have been instructed to inform you that this BattleMech is assigned specifically to you with the compliments of Khan Ulric Kerensky and saKhan Charles Dinour."

There was only one type of BattleMech that merited that sort of formal assignment.

The Great Father, Aleksandr Kerensky, the last commanding general of the SLDF and the father of the Founder of the Clans, had through his long career chosen to pilot an Orion BattleMech. Early in their history, Clan Wolf had developed an upgraded model of the Orion, one scrupulously kept abreast of all technological developments and defended from all attempts by the other Clans at any cost necessary.

The Orion was no longer just a BattleMech, it was a symbol of Clan Wolf's special ties to the Founder. Not even Clan Coyote, who could boast the right to use genetic material from the Founder's brother Andery, were permitted access to an Orion BattleMech. Only a tiny number existed and they were only ever assigned to warriors who had been deemed worthy of promotion to serve in a firstline unit.

Given to the commander of a unit, particularly one that had been derided for its personnel and second-hand equipment…

"Was there any other message?" Vlad asked in an almost reverent voice.

Ranna nodded. "The Wolf Hunters cluster is hereby assigned to Beta Galaxy, under the command of Galaxy Commander Erik Kerensky…"

"There is more, quiaff?"

"Aff." Her voice almost trembled. "We are advised that Beta Galaxy will be returning to Skokie, to complete what Khan Radick began: the conquest of that world and the defeat of the Black Widow."

The hanger exploded in cheers. Vlad himself clenched his fists in anticipation although he also cautioned himself a moment later. With Charles Dinour at their head, Delta Galaxy was no longer the centre of Crusader sentiment within Clan Wolf – or perhaps given Ulric's earlier words to him about the end of that particular issue, the centre of opposition to Ulric's rather liberal policies towards the Inner Sphere.

Beta Galaxy, rebuilt after earlier losses and under the command of a sibko-rival to Ulric was the other stronghold of loyal opposition to the Khan… and a bloody campaign on Skokie could thin their ranks before that became a problem. Once again, Ulric was bargaining sharply to make maximum use of every development.

"That is good news," he declared loudly once the initial wave of excitement had died down. "However, it does not defer this afternoon's drills. Star Captain Carew, are your pilots ready?"

"Ready and hungry, Vlad." Carew caught the irritated look and added: "Ward," slightly belatedly.

"Good. We'll be running air defence drills and I want two of your stars to course us as we cross the mountains and then loop back to launch a simulated attack on this base. The third star will be handling our air defence and I want this to be an endurance event – each fighter killed in simulation from each side will return and refuel here – and then re-join the battle. Any BattleMech or Elemental logged as destroyed on the march will rally here and then reactivate to serve as the defence force."

"So the more of you we kill, the better the defence at the end of the day. I like it. We're going to burn a lot of fuel though."

"Hydrogen is one thing we do not need to ship from the Home Worlds, Carew."

"True. When do you want to begin?"

"Just about the same moment I have my data loaded onto my new 'Mech," Vlad informed him and beckoned to the chief technician.

Carew whistled for attention and then gestured to those of his Trinary that were in the hanger. "Flight suits on and head for the ready room. We have an unexpectedly heavy day ahead of us."

.o0o.

 **Avalon City, New Avalon**

 **Crucis March, Federated Suns**

 **22 March 3051**

"When I drew up that treaty with Sun-Tzu, I didn't expect we'd be activating it in less than a year." Hanse drained the contents of the crystal tumbler in his hand and then looked back out the window to where an official limousine was carrying Justin Allard away from the Castle – and temporarily away from his duties as Minister of Intelligence – so he could tend to his grieving family.

Melissa was merely sipping from her own tumbler, although the contents were from the same bottle of Valencian Bourbon that Hanse's did. "Mother told me when I was a child how dangerous politics could get. I don't think I understood that until Patrick Kell died for me."

"I had the luxury of ignoring it until Ian died." Hanse walked away from the window and refilled his glass. "I was lucky. At least Victor and Kuan-Yin are a little older than you were."

"And they have each other." She saw her husband's eyebrow twitch. "Not that you did a bad job supporting me, dear, but you were on Northwind – it was at least a week before you could offer me a shoulder to cry on."

"I'm very sorry I didn't warp the laws of time and space to be there for you immediately."

"I know you would have if you could – and that does matter, Hanse. There wasn't really anyone there for you, was there?"

The First Prince looked at her steadily in answer before putting his glass down untouched. It was sufficient reply. "We may have dodged a bullet with Sun-Tzu too. That young man is very sharp."

"That's my own impression too. I'm not sure we're out of the woods there though – it was very wise of Kuan-Yin to insist he accompany her to St Ives to assist in integrating the two governments. Leaving him on Sian would have been a recipe for trouble – with his sister dead, he's now the sole heir to Romano's political legacy if he wants it."

"You could be right there. But that same potential could make him immensely valuable to the Federated Commonwealth. We both know that Victor's more soldier than he is statesman, at least at this point. He's proven he can handle himself in a crisis but he's only going to benefit by having a strong political ally at his left hand. I know we've been looking at Kathy to support him and Kuan-Yin is evidently good for him, but…"

"But they're both women?"

"I'm not a misogynist, dear."

"No, but there are some things that men find it easier to handle with other men than they do with women. And vice versa, of course."

Hanse rolled his eyes. "Is Kathy bringing her schoolwork home with her again? Last time we had a chat, she was practically trying to diagnose my mental state."

"I'm glad she's found a course she likes, and serving in the medical corps is a good compromise between the need for her to serve in the AFFC and not wishing to serve in one of the combat arms."

"Yes, but psychiatry?"

His wife was evidently laughing at him. "You just don't like the idea of her earnestly asking young soldiers about their feelings."

"I know it would have done a lot for my morale when I was that age." Hanse went back to his glass. "You're set on going to St Ives as well?"

"Yes. I can't leave immediately or I'd arrange to travel with Justin, but I think we owe it to their family that one of us should be at the funeral. And since I need to go back to Tharkad to deal with the Estates General it only makes sense for me to be the one travelling."

"It feels odd for you to be the one heading towards a warzone."

"Oh Hanse." She hugged him. "You know the Clans aren't within a hundred light years of Tharkad. There's as little risk to me as there would have been from the Combine or the League. And someone has to sell the Estates General on disbanding in favour of this new… are we calling it a Senate now?"

Hanse nodded. "It's got some good historical precedents to it and lets the members call themselves Senators, which should be bolstering for their egos."

"I haven't generally found that the Estates General need their egos pandered to."

"No, but they can still be led by it. Democracy, it's a great idea in theory…"

"You, my dear, are a cynic."

"I'm also a historian."

"Are you planning on abdicating in Victor's favour and teaching? Because otherwise politics take precedence and we really need the public behind us. The Clans may have been slowed but the war has been going on for more than a year and for all we've hurt them, they haven't been stopped."

Hanse sighed. "I thought we might have a reprieve but I have to agree. Ardan's informed me that we may be able to hold onto Tamar and a connecting salient, but that it's only a matter of time until otherwise we're forced back to Defence Line Delta." He clenched the fist not wrapped around his glass. "I can practically feel their supply lines stretching but it's not time to counterattack yet."

"You're sure? It would really help if we could show the Estates General a cheap victory or two." She met his eyes. "And I do mean cheap – you know I don't intend to risk a bloodbath just to score a point, but if we could take even one world back it could make a significant difference."

Her husband hesitated. "I'm not going to lie. We could take a world back, at least temporarily. I don't think it's the right move but we do have the reserve regiments in Donegal March. They don't have many upgraded 'Mechs yet, but tanks and aerospace are easier. It would be possible to put a task force on somewhere like Blackjack – reasonably important world politically but our intel suggests the Jade Falcons haven't garrisoned it all that heavily."

"The trouble is, they would be able to move troops back to retake it. Worse, we'd be poking them in the nose with the fact we have significant troops in the Donegal March. That might provoke them to shift their axis of advance towards Tharkad and around our current defensive line – which we've got the troops for but perhaps not the supply lines. I doubt they'd make it a major push, but even a couple of clusters running serious raids would have a dozen worlds demanding support – and we don't have the sort of defensive preparations in the Donegal March that we do in Tamar."

Melissa sighed. "I suppose you're right. But when the time comes?"

"When the time comes, I want to smash them once and for all. We'll want to teach the Clans a lesson they can't possibly forget about the consequences of striking at the Federated Commonwealth. If possible, I want to cripple their military potential to the point their rivals in the Clan home worlds tear them to pieces."

"Good." The resolve on Melissa's face would have startled many foreign analysts who considered her less militant than her husband. "I just hope that happens before we have to start fortifying the Draconis March."

"The Draconis March has been fortified for generations. Preparing them for the Clans was relatively easy – the hard part was convincing the Sandovals that we shouldn't launch our own invasion of the Combine while they were distracted."

"And have they accepted that?" she asked.

"The argument that 'whoever loses on Luthien, we win' carried a certain amount of weight." Hanse shrugged. "It's only a matter of time – the Smoke Jaguars landed on Cyrenaica last week and it won't hold out much longer. That puts them only one jump away from Luthien."

"Within a month then?"

"If the Jaguars have received the same level of reinforcements as the other Clans and assuming they're not planning on bypassing Luthien for some reason – it would be odd but they are odd at times – then yes."

"And will it fall?"

"That, my dear, is the million kroner question. The DCMS will fight like devils to defend it – and Theodore's moved some significant regiments there. I think it'll be the largest battle so far in the entire invasion."

"I hear a 'but'."

"Put Theodore in charge and I'd give them slightly better than average odds of repelling the Clans. I strongly suspect we've underestimated him all along. But at the same time, I can't see Takashi not insisting on taking the lead. And our last report on Theodore doesn't even have him on Luthien yet – he's visited Dieron, Benjamin and Galedon V to get the Warlords in line but after leaving Galedon…"

"We don't know where he is?"

"I don't think a war with the Combine back in the thirties would have gone as well as most of us assumed. And given his last back-channel message, I'm very glad he's alive right now. He has a flexibility that Takashi lacks. If anyone can save the Combine then he can."

"And if he can't?"

Hanse shrugged. "Then James Sandoval will be racing the Clans to devour what's left."

.o0o.

 **Nadir Jump Point, Castor**

 **Terran March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **1 April 3051**

There was nothing suspicious about the cross border transmission between Castor, on the Federated Commonwealth side of the border, and Bordon on the Free Worlds League's side. The two realms were at peace, after all, and there was a modest degree of cross-border trade – most of it was even legal. Castor had been part of the League up until the Fourth Succession War and who knew what might happen.

Even the contents of the transmission were entirely innocuous. But the recipient, alerted by the simple arrival of a message from that source, made a telephone call to his actual superior (as opposed to his apparent employer in a minor interstellar trading firm) and that superior sent a signal.

As a result, just twenty hours after four Merchant-class jumpships had arrived in Castor, a fifth jumpship appeared. This one was a Monolith-class, capable of singlehandedly carrying more dropships than all four of the Merchants. It was mostly unladen however and there was no obvious IFF.

Captain Samra Ghani, FWLN carefully avoided leaning forwards in his chair as the elderly but well maintained Achilles-class assault dropship Trojan detached from its parent jumpship. Along with a pair of smaller Avenger-class dropships this was the most significant purely naval operation the FWLN had attempted since the Third Succession War. None of the wars since then had required this specific skillset and there was no point making his crew nervous.

"Alright, give them our first message," he ordered.

Carefully constructed to give the appearance of being from a Clan warrior – the cover story for this operation – the message, in simple terms demanded that the dropships detach from their parent vessels and instead dock with Ghani's transport. Since there were eight dropships to capture, not six, that would be a small problem but SAFE had thought ahead in preparing the messages and there was another that would cover the circumstance by demanding that one of the Merchants surrender so Ghani could use it to transport two of his assault dropships back to the selected rendezvous.

The jumpship crew would even be released with their ship after that – unlike the dropships they were civilians not soldiers and they wouldn't know where Ghani's forces had departed to after the rendezvous.

Unfortunately for someone – and Ghani wasn't entirely sure who yet – the transport crews had their own ideas.

"They are refusing to comply, sir." The communications officer checked the reply carefully. "The convoy's senior officer has a few things to say about pirates daring to try this so deep inside the Federated Commonwealth."

"Pick a suitably irate reply for our electronic Star Colonel and remind the jumpship crews that they aren't combatants and that their safety lies in not having dropships docked with them if shots have to be fired. You do have something for that?"

"Aye, sir. Several variations on irate and two for the warning. Should I use the more strongly worded warning?"

"No, we're supposed to be Clan Wolf, who are allegedly semi-civilised. We can always upgrade our threats if need be, but backtracking would look odd."

Ghani watched the jumpships and dropships grow as he closed in. "Confirm fighter readiness," he ordered calmly. "But don't launch – they'll be even more suspicious once they realise our fighters don't look much like Clan models."

"Sir!"

He turned to look at the Comms officer. "Yes?"

"Sir, I have a Kommandant Gearing of the Federated Commonwealth, signalling that he considers the escort under his command more than sufficient to deal with us. He, uh…"

"Put it on the speakers."

The comm officer flipped a switch and a lightly accented male voice – from somewhere in the central Crucis March, Ghani suspected, that being the home of the appalling Anglo-French patois that the Davions considered a language – advised: "I suggest you consider very carefully that the legal penalties for threatening an act of piracy are significantly less than those for actually carrying out an attack – however ineptly. At the very least, if I have to engage you and you survive, you're going to be liable for the cost of my fuel expenditure."

"He could be bluffing," the weapons officer said from the other side of the cramped command deck.

"Or they might have an assault dropship of their own. Do we have sensor readings on them?"

"Seven spheroids, one aerodyne. The aerodyne is smallest, under three thousand tons by estimate – probable Gazelle. All but one of the spheroids are around ten or eleven thousand tons – likely Mules – and the last one is the largest, over fifty thousand tons – pretty definitely a Mammoth."

"Hmm. That aerodyne could be a Leopard CV – it's on the small side but six fighters would be more than we have aboard."

"No sir, we're quite sure – the armour layout of a Leopard is quite distinctive. The aerodyne is definitely too angular and the wing arrangement is wrong."

Ghani scratched his chin. "The bluff theory is very appealing."

"Two dropships detaching!"

"Which ones?"

"Spheroids, mid-size. They're…" The sensor operator squinted. "Shit!"

"They're what?"

"Not Mules, sir. Overlords."

"Shit." Ghani considered the odds. Each of the Overlords was armed and could be carrying six aerospace fighters. Twelve on two would be long odds for their own fighters, although the assault dropships would even this up. Probably.

Unfortunately it was too late to abort. It would take days to recharge the drive on their jumpship so it was fight or surrender and surrender would have all sorts of unfortunate consequences.

"Launch fighters. Prepare for a warning shot across their bows." Given the short ranges, they hadn't built up a substantial velocity so there would be no need to slow down to practical combat velocities. "They'll have flank armaments and we don't so a head on engagement is as good as any for this."

"What should we use for warning shots, LRMs?"

"Yes, hold back the autocannon for now."

Volleys of LRMs streaked out from all three FWLN dropships and detonated just short of the two Overlords.

"Any response?"

The comm officer cupped his headset and listened. Then he shook his head. "It's Gearing again. He says: 'you were warned'."

"Fighter launches!" called the sensor officer. "…odd."

"What?"

"The angle is wrong for an Overlord's flight decks and… they're heading right for us." She checked her figures. "Too fast… they aren't fighters! Brace for missiles!"

The salvo of missiles slashed past the Trojan and two-thirds of them crashed into the Malta, stationed on her left wing. The assault dropship had more armour than any mere transport but not enough to shrug off impacts like that. The little dropship was still under power but as Ghani looked at the visual display it was evident that little – if any – of the right wing's armament would be in use.

"They're really launching fighters now – big ones. Probably Stukas."

"Launch ours and return fire." Ghani checked his safety harness. "Signal for Malta and Kursk to engage the fighters, we'll take on the dropships."

The AFFC aerospace fighters formed up into two squadron-sized formations, sweeping out to engage the two smaller dropships which had to turn away from the Overlords in order to keep their weapons on targets. Ghani was about to turn his attention back to the Overlords – with the heavy and diverse nature of his dropship's forward weapons the protection of the transports should be eaten through quite quickly – when Malta's icon simply vanished from the display.

"Sir, Malta is gone – those fighters tore it to shreds."

"Dammit, what sort of pilots are they sending out? Shift our fighters to cover the flank." They'd be killed but what choice did he have? The fighters were already moving past the wreck of the Malta to engage the Trojan and while the Achilles was much larger than an Avenger, it put most of that tonnage into massive engines, not more armour. "Bring the drives up to maximum power – if we blow past the Overlords it'll take the fighters time to catch up – we've got a higher delta than a Stuka does."

"That'll leave the Kursk exposed, sir."

Ghani glared at the weapons officer. "I'm aware of that, Lieutenant." This wasn't about the mission any more, it was about survival. With no mother-ships left, and the Trojan amid the transports, the Stukas would have profoundly limited options.

The drives flared to life and Ghani – along with the rest of the crew – gasped for breath as they underwent the sort of acceleration even most fighter pilots rarely endured.

"K-…" The sensor operator inhaled and tried again as the two Overlords flashed past, weapons firing but failing to track the other dropship. "K-F signature. Due… due aft!"

Forcing his hand to move, Ghani brought a rear camera's view up on the main display. There was nothing at first – no surprise, the signature would precede the arrival of the jumpship by seconds or even minutes. "Flip the ship!" he spat.

Manoeuvring thrusters roared and he heard someone lose their lunch as the Trojan spun sharply through space, reversing the direction of the vessel and bringing forward weapons to bear as they slowed. "Cut drives to one gee! Fire as you bear."

The Overlords were also turning, probably to bring those brutal missile launchers to bear, and weapons tore into the flanks. The screen had maintained tracking as they turned, switching from screen to screen and they could see armour peeling away but somehow there was always more behind it.

"We should be breaching them," called the weapons officer. "Why aren't our guns getting through?"

"S-sir." No guesses needed for who had thrown-up, the evidence was all down the front of the comm officer's jumpsuit. "They must have added armour as well as missile tubes. They could be as well armoured as we are."

Then we're pretty much screwed, Ghani thought but didn't say.

A surge of electromagnetics sent static through the display for an instant and when it was clear, they could see the source of the K-F signature.

Four rounded engine pods to the rear, separated from the blunt nose by more than six hundred metres of armour and weapons. An asymmetric sensor tower reared up out of one side of the forward hull. Opposite it, the sunburst-fist of the Federated Commonwealth

Everyone on the bridge – everyone on the entire dropship was a naval professional. Even if they'd never expected to see one, they had studied the records of the great combat jumpships which had once dominated the space lanes before time and the attrition of war reduced the great fleets to scattered handfuls of dropships once considered barely worth mentioning as escorts.

"A Lola-class destroyer… they have a warship."

"Get this on general broadcast." Ghani gripped the sides of his chair as he saw the flare of light that marked the final end of the dropship Kursk. "Every view we have of that thing – transmit unencrypted and on every frequency." He looked at the comm officer unflinchingly. "We're going to die. But if we make this public – if we let everyone know - then our comrades will know what killed us."

The man nodded. "Kommandant Gearing is hailing us. He… probably isn't saying anything important."

"Keep firing."

"Aye, sir."

The huge ship – and to think that the leviathan-like mass would have been dwarfed by a SLDF battleship? – hung arrogantly in space, practically reeking of the assurance that nothing could or would survive at the jump-point without its consent.

Ghani zoomed in the display as close as he could, maximum magnification showing a name painted astern of the sunburst-fist. FCS Loyalty. Hah. As he manipulated the camera down the flank of the ship he saw turrets turning until their blunt muzzles reciprocated the angle of the camera.

Unlocking his harness, the captain rose to his feet and with his right hand saluted. "Sailors, it's been an honour."

The last thing to go through Samra Ghani's head – and the rest of the command deck – was one of five half-ton slugs of nickel-iron that tore their ship into so many tons of shredded metal.

.o0o.

 **Avalon City, New Avalon**

 **Crucis March, Federated Suns**

 **7 April 3051**

"Now they know we're not fooling around."

Morgan Hasek-Davion frowned slightly at his uncle's words. "Thomas Marik?"

"And ComStar. It's possible they weren't behind this but they certainly know about it now and they must be having litters of kitten on Terra."

"I'm not sure that's an immediate concern, Hanse."

"I'm not sure either – that's what bothers me." The First Prince looked at his tall, lean nephew and felt a surge of affection for the younger man. Morgan's father had been a constant dagger at his back but the son was perhaps the most loyal of his officers. If Hanse had fathered no children, Morgan would have been a worthy heir – not least because he would have fought like a lion to avoid having to take the throne. "Thomas Marik is somewhat predictable. Takashi Kurita is eminently predictable and while his son is not, we at least know where he stands on this matter."

"At a price."

"It's a price I'm willing to pay for his alerting us that ComStar invited he and Thomas Marik to strike at our logistics. It took us more than a decade to develop the capability to build these weapons in any quantity – reverse-engineering them without the help of the Dragoons won't be any easier for the Combine. In practical terms, the best thing Theodore can do with them is fit them to his samurai's 'Mechs – and even then he asked for guns and ammunition, not for the armour, the structural materials or the advanced heatsinks that it possible to mount them in credible numbers. The DCMS can get as much by overrunning a Clan supply depot."

"Knowing that Theodore Kurita is going to make rational decisions – at least by my standards – is priceless. It means that there will be a Draconis Combine to cover our flank as long as it's practical to do so. Granted, it might not be much more than Galedon District, but that isn't a concern."

"I'm not sure I follow that logic. The Coordinator would fight to the last man for every world but Theodore could – if he's ruthless enough, and I think he is – pull the majority of the DCMS out of the Clan's way and he'd still have a powerful military, right on our border while we're distracted by the Clans."

Hanse grinned. "Sure. Oh, he'd make some effort as a matter of face, but he might do that. But he wouldn't use those regiments on us because sooner or later the Clans could change course and decide they want New Samarkand or some other world. While the Clans are a threat on this scale, he isn't going to jog our elbow because he knows that whether he likes it or not (and it must stick in his craw) that the Federated Commonwealth is the only state that can stop the Clans as a whole."

Morgan nodded grudgingly. "Cold blooded self-interest."

"I'll take that over hot-blooded self-delusion." Hanse sighed. "You know I have no real quarrel with ComStar."

That got an incredulous laugh. "You're kidding, right?"

"I really don't care if they control Terra. They're welcome to it. They can run their HPGs and I'd even leave them a commercial monopoly on that. If they just stick to their stated purposes – communication, neutral venue for negotiations, arbitrating mercenary disputes, shipping, charitable works… Better than ninety-nine percent of what they do are things I have no quarrel with."

"But there's that fraction of one percent."

"If they had left my scientists alone I wouldn't have spent a fortune – a fortune – trying to root out their influence. For some reason, Myndo Waterly and her predecessor – predecessors, probably but Tiepolo's as far back as I have personal involvement – just have to keep playing games. It's a distraction we don't need but they don't seem to grasp that."

"I think they've got a pretty good grasp on the key issue – at least from their perspective."

Hanse sighed. "Go on."

"Hanse, the one thing that you won't let them keep is the one thing they treasure most."

"And that would be?"

Morgan leant forwards. "Three words: being politically relevant."

"Hmm." Hanse went back to his seat. "Alright, you have a point there. My ego is pierced."

"That's about the size of it. Almost of those benign, beneficial roles ComStar fills are a very soft form of power. It gives them leverage but only used with some care. But besides all of that, they're a government. They rule Terra - and Mars and Venus too. What government can you think of that was satisfied with only having soft power? They have the coercive authority of a throne on those worlds, the oldest worlds in the Inner Sphere and arguably the centre of human civilisation even today. Could you spend your life practically in eye-range of the First Lord's throne and not at least fantasize about Terra once again being the throne world of all humanity?"

"I think a succession of my ancestors – among other dynasties – managed to dream of that without ever setting foot on Terra. Okay, so ambition is infinite. Fair enough. Maybe I'm getting old and naïve."

"Or more mature."

"Thanks."

"Well, you decided that other things were more important than ambition – don't forget, I've got access to all the plans you had for invading the Draconis Combine and breaking their industrial base around Dieron. It would have worked – you could have probably convinced everyone that we'd need the factories against the Clans. But you took the longer view and instead of trying for new conquests…"

"Morgan… I get enough positive reinforcement from my wife."

The Marshal threw back his head and laughed. "Okay. Okay, I'm not a threat to your marriage, uncle. You've thrown your life – and the lives of pretty much everyone else in the upper levels of our government - into preparing for the Clans and the possibility they'd sweep across the entire Inner Sphere. But for the First Circuit, they're new to that view. The Clans aren't anywhere near Terra."

"For them, the driving issue is still that we're messing with technology that their doctrine tells them will be used irresponsibly. Let's face it, there's a certain amount of historical evidence of that. They probably can't even conceive of how irrelevant they are in the eyes of the Clans' grand council. Their Precentor Martial has been working on them for almost a year and he's still only got half-hearted agreements in place. The Clans simply don't care – chances are that as soon as they're on Terra, they'll simply replace ComStar's leaders with their own civilians and order them to reorganise on Clan lines. And they think that'll work."

"They may have learned better, by the time they get there."

Morgan shrugged. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather they didn't get that far. It would indicate most of our stratagems have failed. Not that ComStar would thank us." He frowned. "And going back to our original topic, what do you intend to do to Thomas Marik for his part in this?"

"Well as a friendly neighbour I should probably let him know that pirates claiming to be from the Clans tried unsuccessfully to strike at one of our shipping routes only to fall prey to the local patrols. He'll know we suspect, but even if we had captives or other evidence that he was behind this, there's nothing to gain from making accusations – he's down by three expensive dropships and knows any weakness in our border defences exist only on his wishful thinking. He's not the sort of man who throws good money after bad."

.o0o.

 **ComStar Compound, Hilton Head Island**

 **North America, Terra**

 **11 April 3051**

The First Circuit stood in a circle on the marble floor of the meeting room. By ancient tradition, they did not sit during their gatherings – something that was harder on the older end of their membership.

"I was expecting that Precentor Seneca would be here to report on this matter," Sharilar Mori enquired diplomatically as they watched the hologram of FCS Loyalty once again obliterate the FWLN dropship squadron.

"If you would like to see the report he gave me, you are entirely welcome to view the holographic records." Myndo Waterly's eyes flashed dangerously at her long-time ally. "It was distressingly inadequate. Under the circumstances, he has taken leave of his post at the head of ROM in order to enter into a spiritual retreat."

"Ah. The Tierra del Fuego facility?"

Waterly's sharp nod answered both the literal and the implied question. ComStar did maintain facilities for more junior members of their Order to retreat to if they were faced with a spiritual crisis – generally located on worlds rendered barren by the savagery of the Amaris Civil War or the early Succession Wars. Hours of prayer interrupted by hard but limited labour in the ongoing efforts to clear the corpse-ridden cities and salvage anything that remained of value after the passage of centuries usually either convinced the adepts of ComStar's position or that they themselves lacked the fortitude to face the trials placed upon the Order.

Those who had reached more senior positions of trust when they faced doubts on their own part or their superiors as to their fitness to serve would instead be sent to Tierra del Fuego for re-education. Unfortunately, the products of Tierra del Fuego were usually no longer fit for positions of great responsibility, but the rule of three entire worlds and administration of facilities all across (and even beyond) the Inner Sphere was a mission that called for an almost unending number of bureaucratic drones.

"I have my own views on the most pressing discoveries from this. However, in the meantime I have called Precentor Beresick – one of the Precentor Martial's senior officers in the warship arm of the ComGuards - to present his department's analysis."

The doors to the chamber opened to admit the officer in question, wearing the most formal uniform of the ComGuards. Even so, in comparison to the crimson robes of the gathered Precentors, he cut an unassuming figure. "Primus, honoured Precentors, it is my honour to serve you," he greeted them.

"The Blessings of Blake be upon you, Precentor Beresick." Myndo Waterly gestured to the hologram. "Please advise us of what new light this information casts upon the question of House Davion's warship programme."

Beresick accepted a control wand and froze the image.

"Most obviously, this vessel is clearly derived from the Lola-class of fast destroyers that were employed in great numbers by the Star League and before them by the Terran Hegemony. On one level this is reassuring as it suggests that the Federated Commonwealth are reconditioning salvaged hulls rather than building new vessels. Unfortunately, a closer examination of the details demonstrates that this is overly optimistic"

"What do you mean?"

Six points on the hull of the destroyer lit up. "If you look here you can see dropships detaching from the hull of the Loyalty. While the dropships are a concern in and of themselves, the relevance here is that no previously encountered version of the Lola-class in the Star League's day or examples now owned by ComStar or the Clans, has any jump-collars that would allow the transport of the dropships. It's certainly possible to modify a ship to add them but it involves some fairly fundamental alterations to the jump-core itself – you must remember that the collars aren't just docking ports but also the equipment to extend the parent vessel's jump-field around dropships of various sizes and shapes. Our own shipyard personnel at Titan have confirmed that any shipyard capable of such modifications must also be capable of constructing entirely new jump-cores and by extension, the warships to house them. It's therefore almost certain that even if the AFFC may not be building entirely new warships they must have the basic capability to do so."

"And they might be?"

"I'm not an intelligence specialist, your Excellency, but I was consulted by Precentor Seneca's analysts on this matter and so far as I am aware, no clear answer has been determined. My understanding is that all but two known shipyards have been eliminated from consideration as possible sites for construction and reconstruction."

"Quite so. The list has narrowed to Alarion in the Donegal March and Galax in the Crucis March."

Beresick nodded. "The Loyalty's capabilities are in the expected vein of developments based on previous reports – there has been severe rationalisation of the armament, which implies relatively limited capacity to construct naval-grade weaponry. This is probably intentional – a limited selection of weapons simplifies logistics considerably."

"Does it reduce their offensive capability? After all, I'm given to understand that a few dropships are hardly a fair test of this thing's capabilities," enquired the Precentor for Tharkad.

"It's hard to say with regard to other ships but not in this case, at least." Beresick brought the display around to show the Precentors the flank of the Loyalty and then the same view of a similar vessel. "We have our own Lola-class ships and this is the block-III armament used around the end of the Star League and still in use by our own fleet – and with very slight variations by the Clans. As you can see, the main ballistic weapon mounts have been reduced from eight to five but by replacing the autocannon with heavy naval gauss rifles, the 37% reduction in weapon mounts actually almost doubles the effective firepower since the rifles are around three times as destructive."

"Also the secondary armament of naval lasers replaces the type-45 lasers on the flanks with the same type-55 lasers we only use in the forward and aft batteries. It's harder to judge the missile tubes but we suspect that the White Shark and Barracuda capital missiles have been replaced with the heavier Kraken missiles we know that the new assault dropship variant of the Overlords used."

"You said that those were a problem of their own?" asked Sharilar Mori.

"Quite correct. The implication that the AFFC have developed an entire class of heavy assault dropships to support and even to substitute for their warship fleet strongly implies that they are taking a very long view not only of warships operating on their own but of a mutually supporting fleet and the naval infrastructure that supports it. They've even taken steps to address concerns the SLDF noted during the Amaris Civil War but didn't manage to address before the Exodus."

Precentor Tharkad tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Beresick indicated where autocannon turrets had been removed from the Loyalty. "I mean these smaller weapon arrays replacing the original weapon mounts. SLDF doctrine counted on dropships and fighters to keep enemy fighters away from their warships. As they found out engaging Periphery pilots and unmanned drones of the Hegemony's Space Defence Systems, this wasn't always successful. These turrets are too small to determine their exact armament but it appears that the AFFC have decided that their warships should have suitable weapons to engage fighters without being dependent on their escorts."

"Can we refit our own ships in the same way?" Myndo Waterly's voice was calm as she asked the same question she'd already asked in private earlier in the day.

"The shipyards at Titan are completely capable of the full refits and our mobile shipyards can at least refit the more superficial changes to armament. However, we would also need to construct several of the necessary components as we don't have them in stock. I've discussed this with a few of our naval engineers and it would be six months before we could begin any major refits and we would be looking at a minimum of three years to fully refit the fleet – and at least a third of our warships would be out of action at any one time during that process."

"Which may not be advisable with the Clans pressing ever closer to Terra." Waterly nodded her understanding. "Earlier you mentioned a more modest programme."

"Yes, Primus. Adding anti-fighter batteries to our warships would be enormously simpler than major refits to our primary armament and drives. In addition, we still have reserves of warships that haven't been restored to full service due to the expense and the demands of crewing them. My recommendation is to have our active fleet carry out only modest upgrades while Titan begins the programme of upgrades by refitting up to eight of the ships out of service and constructing additional escort dropships. Once we have the additional warships we can crew them by taking personnel out of active ships sent into refit. It would take four or five years to bring our fleet up to the standards this sets, but at the end of the process we would have had the time to build up our personnel numbers to fully crew a fleet of warships around a third again of our current strength. It's possible the AFFC might be able to match that rate of increase but it appears unlikely they can exceed it."

"That will be fiendishly expensive," grumbled Precentor Atreus.

Waterly nodded. "Unfortunately the refugee relief programmes we are carrying out in and around the Clan's occupation zones are straining our budgets. I see no alternative but to propose a half-percent rise in our commercial rates for HPG communications – at least those paid for in House Bills – from the third quarter of this year."

"That won't do the financial markets any good."

"My concern for Lyran merchants' bottom line is minimal," the Primus answered. "We have considerably more important priorities and their supposed claim to be humanitarian in comparison to their rivals gives them little grounds to protest – after all, it is their countrymen who benefit from the refugee programmes."

Precentor Beresick cleared his throat. "I obviously have no expertise in fiscal matters. The other implication we discussed, Primus..."

"Yes." She nodded. "Given the political implications, I am comfortable in discussing that without you Precentor – and you have quite a busy day drawing up a more detailed proposal for the increase in our warship fleet. Unless the First Circuit have any further questions..."

"Just one." Sharilar Mori held up her hand. "Precentor Beresick, you have implied that the Clans warships are broadly similar to our own – which suggests that individually the AFFC has vessels more than their equal. In that case, why have they not despatched them to enter battle?"

"Largely, your excellency, I suspect that Hanse Davion feels that he lacks the number of ships, particularly in the heavier classes, to engage in battle with the Clans. We've seem a number of cruisers and even battleships among the Clans' forces. However, our information on the Federated Commonwealth Navy so far is limited to confirmation of one destroyer and mention of some corvettes. While I wouldn't rule out a small number of larger ships, it's plausible that the First Prince wishes to amass a force at least equal to one of the Clans before he commits it."

"Thank you, for your time."

Beresick bowed his head first to Mori and then to the Primus. "The peace of Blake upon you, your Excellencies," he murmured, surrendering the control wand and retreating from the chamber.

"What other implication does he mean?" asked Precentor Tharkad cautiously.

Waterly raised an eyebrow. "How long did it take a message from Castor to reach Bordon so that they could despatch their assault force? Almost a full day between the convoy arriving and Marik's ships doing so. Granting that most of that was the wait for the regular transmission time, but there was also the time lag for radio signals at both ends."

She gestured to the hologram, shrinking it until the Loyalty was visible in full. "But less than thirty minutes after the strike force arrives, this vessel jumps in to destroy them." Her fist clenched around the wand. "Somewhere on Castor is an HPG station that signalled directly to this vessel. It is the only possible explanation. And that HPG is not under our control."

There were gasps.

"The Federated Commonwealth has broken its treaty obligations which invest ComStar as the sole guardian of all interstellar communication within their borders." She threw back the hood of her robe. "My Precentors, there can be no clearer message of contempt from Hanse Davion and his wife: they believe that they do not need us."

"If they had their own fully active HPG network they would hardly spend billions of C-bills every year paying for our services," cautioned Mori. "I agree, the HPG or some equivalent system is the only explanation, but if they could entirely disregard us then Hanse Davion wouldn't hesitate to advertise that. At a stroke he would have crippled our finances and all foreign intelligence services within his borders."

"You are correct, Sharilar. But it is plainly only a matter of time before he does exactly that." Waterly shook her head, the braid of pale hair slithering out of her collar. "And that means we must consider moving before he has the chance."

"You cannot intend to interdict the Federated Commonwealth!"

"Not now, no. We are not ready and I very much doubt it would be sufficient – given the chance it could very well lead to Davion moving to try to seize control of our existing stations. However, that will have to be part of our war plans." The Primus pointed towards the hologram of the ship with the sunburst-fist upon its side. "Because do not doubt – we are at war with the Federated Commonwealth!"

* * *

A/N: At this point in writing the story (19 November) I realised "okay, two-thirds done with the story" Then I realised that that meant I needed another 40,000 or more words done. And while I've certainly managed to write that much, that fast, doing so having done that twice already I was less sure of. As it happened the rest of the story turned out to be closer to another _60,000_ words and for better or for worse I wrote it in 10 days flat. Hopefully you won't be disappointed.


	10. Book 3, Chapter 9

Book Three

 _Three things never trust in: a maiden sworn as pure,_

 _The vows a king has given, and the ambush that is sure._

\- Threes, Mercedes Lackey

.o0o.

Chapter Nine

 **Warlord's Palace, Enzo**

 **Pesht, Smoke Jaguar Occupation Zone**

 **30 April 3051**

The archaic timbers and wooden floors of the great hall were a sharp contrast to the last few Grand Council meetings, much less to the stark marble of the Council Hall on Strana Mechty.

To celebrate the recent string of victories – not least the fall of this world to the Smoke Jaguars but also of Alshain to the Ghost Bears and what appeared to be the end of the deadlock against the Federated Commonwealth - the ilKhan had decreed two days of festivities before the formal meeting of the Clans.

With the warriors of seven Clans – for the leading elements of both Clan Nova Cat and Clan Diamond Shark had reached the Inner Sphere – gathered in one place, it was certainly an unrivalled venue for the Invaders to let off steam, exchange boasts and no doubt indulge in unofficial couplings and trials of grievance.

So long as the latter didn't reach the point of undermining their readiness to fight against the Inner Sphere, Ulric didn't really mind it. In fact, he rather expected his escort to give better than they received.

"I'm sure this place has seen no end of back-door dealings over the centuries," he told Charles Dinour as they sat opposite each other in one of the side-chambers, waiting for their fellow guest to arrive. "But deliberately setting aside time for it seems almost decadent of the ilKhan."

"It is not as if we have not been indulging in that ourselves. What else are we here for?"

"Aff. But all the groundwork has been laid already. Showers would usually have everything already lined up for his gambit – this is unusual."

There was a discreet knock and one of the on duty warriors ushered Lynn McKenna into chamber. At least the Smoke Jaguars were taking no chances with the security of the site – all the existing staff had been replaced with unarmoured infantry from a garrison cluster.

"Khan McKenna." Ulric rose and greeted the slim, white-haired Khan warmly.

She smiled, with a shrewd glint in her eyes. "Ulric, I see that your vigorous campaign has not exhausted you any more than the demanded revels have."

"We Wolves breed for stamina, among other things."

She laughed. "And you are Charles Dinour. Interesting that you have risen so far despite your Goliath Scorpion blood."

"After so many surprises here in the Inner Sphere, the Clan Council favoured a new perspective," he replied. "You have spent much time with the Jade Falcons, perhaps you have seen the same with their new saKhan?"

"Vandervahn Chistu does not innovate in any fashion I care for." McKenna took a seat. "You have a bargain in mind, Ulric. But what do you think you can offer us when Elias Crichell has already offered us access to much of his Clan's wealth in return for our shipping supporting their supply-lines."

"And without that assistance, I suspect they would be faring less well," Ulric agreed calmly. "Given our commitments here in the Inner Sphere and the end of the implicit ban on Trials of Possession involving invading Clans, our Clan Council are open to discussing the consolidation of our holdings in the Home Worlds to more defensible enclaves."

"I can understand why you might feel, with dozens of rich worlds here, that some of your enclaves are less valuable, but why would the Snow Ravens want your leavings?"

"My specific consideration is to the portion of Circe we hold."

McKenna blinked – as well she might. The five Pentagon worlds – Arcadia, Babylon, Circe, Dagda and Eden – were somewhat inhospitable but they were also the original worlds settled by the SLDF after their Exodus and as such they had a disproportionately large share of the Clans' industry and population. Clan Wolf's enclaves there were formidable and neighboured some of the oldest of the Snow Ravens'. "You would expect much in return for such a prize, Ulric."

"I will take the liberty of reminding you of the investment that you and two of the previous Ghost Bear Khans made into certain warship hulls – before it became clear that the Inner Sphere had no fleets worthy of such investment. As I understand it, the vessels remain incomplete and the resources spent on them are effectively wasted."

"Your point, Ulric?"

"I am ordering a substantial shipment from our home enclaves – including thousands of our civilian castes to help administer our new holdings here in the Inner Sphere. And yes, some will come from Circe – although hardly a drop in the well compared to the millions who will remain there. However, such a large convoy will stretch our shipping – and our ability to defend it from Clans who might consider those personnel and the material goods to be an asset to enclaves in the Home Worlds or in other occupation zones." He spread his hands. "I could devote a large portion of our naval forces to escort them, but I could also acquire four very large vessels that can be adapted to carry some of those goods and contract the defence to the finest aerospace warriors among the Clans."

"Your flattery is as golden as your Keshik, but remember, those four ships are also in part the property of Clan Ghost Bear."

"The Ghost Bears are the clan that legitimised Trials of Possession against – and therefore by – the invading Clans." Dinour grinned toothily. "They have very little grounds for protest and since there will be some excess capacity if we add these ships to our intended convoy, we are prepared to offer them the use of it for their own supplies to soften the blow – if we have to."

McKenna nodded. "You should not underestimate how deep the investment we have both made in these vessels."

"Some return on that is better than no return – certainly you or the Ghost Bears could complete the ships as transports now that we have proposed the idea... but that will take more of your resources and then demand crews that I doubt either of you can spare."

"You make a convincing argument. Do not hold me accountable, however, if the Ghost Bears wish to deal more frugally with you."

"I have bargained with Bjorn Jorgenssen before. I am confident that he will bargain more shrewdly now that he has more experience as a Khan."

She chuckled. "Yes, and no doubt you have something in mind to sweeten the taste of this for him. Very well. In principle I am amenable to bargaining for a Trial of Possession for your holdings on Circe and separately a Trial of Possession for you to take over our claims on the four vessels in question – so long as you undertake to complete them in your own shipyards and at your own expense. Three bouts between Stars in each case, with the winner of the most bouts being deemed victorious?"

"On the tenth day of May perhaps?" Ulric suggested. "I am sure you can send a trinary across Circe on short notice but we will need to ship a suitable force to your shipyards at Lum."

"Not to mention evacuating your best personnel and equipment from Circe. The tenth for Lum, but the fifth on Circe."

Ulric met her gaze for a moment. "That is acceptable." He offered his hand. "Bargained well and done."

"Aff." Mckenna took his hand. "I take it that your removal of key assets from Circe is already well underway, that being the case."

"Some, but not all. Your Clan will be enriched, I promise you."

The slightly younger Khan shook her head and looked around. "We lay claim to part of a world, Khan Ulric, but you are carving out an entire empire for your Clan."

Charles Dinour scowled. "And now we must fight to retain it."

.o0o.

 **Warlord's Palace, Enzo**

 **Pesht, Smoke Jaguar Occupation Zone**

 **1 May 3051**

Anastasius Focht paused at the entrance to Ulric's suite of rooms in the palace, seeing that the Khan already had a guest. "Khan Carns."

"Please enter." The dark-skinned junior Khan of the Nova Cats remained seated. "Our Loremaster may have been precipitous in his greeting to you, but if you are destined to be our nemesis then I can at least offer you the respect due a fellow warrior."

"If it's... it is all the same to you, I hope that I am not the subject of these visions."

Carns smiled. "Our ways disturb you?"

"I wasted much of my youth chasing dreams that led me nowhere."

Ulric gestured for the Precentor-Martial to take another of the chairs. "If you would like refreshments, you can call for them," he advised. "I have one small matter further to discuss with Khan Carns before we are both ready for the conversation we want to have with you."

"Should I leave the room?"

"It is not confidential." Ulric turned to Lucien. "Marshal Richard is of some value to us. I feel that asking you stake the genetic legacy of your gene-sire for paternal use is a reasonable stake for you to offer as forfeit if your champions fail the trial."

"Would that be Marshal Richard Steiner?"

Both Khans turned their heads to look at Focht. "Aff. The officer captured on Tamar by the Wolf Hunter Cluster."

Focht nodded. "Ah. I was merely curious, as he was once an initiate of my Order. His vocation lay elsewhere, however."

The Nova Cat leant forwards. "Interesting. I was unaware of that."

"It is interesting that you claim that reason for being curious, Precentor Martial." Ulric's eyes were mischievous. "After all, according to the blood sample we took from you in case of medical emergency, you and Marshal Steiner are directly related through the maternal line."

It took considerable self-control for Anastasius Focht to refrain from cursing. "My entry into ComStar was much like being taken as a bondsman and then adopted into a Clan. My past before that had no value and I rarely think of it."

Carns eyed Focht for a moment and then nodded. "Bargained well, Ulric Kerensky. I agree to your proposed terms. I will send my forces to Rasalhague to contend for the prize of Marshal Richard of the Steiners."

"Done." The Wolf Khan leant back in his chair, seemingly amused at having ruffled Focht's feathers with his earlier revelation. "On to the matter I invited you here for, Precentor Martial. I believe you have had some meetings recently with ilKhan Showers and Khan Osis of Clan Smoke Jaguar?"

"That is correct."

Carns frowned. "And Khan Ian Hawker of the Diamond Sharks was also present."

Focht nodded slowly.

"Damn them." Carns hammered one hand down on the arm of his chair. "They know we have precedence here."

"They also know that there is bad blood between the Jaguars and your Clan." Ulric steepled his fingers. "The topic of your conversations with the Khans was Luthien, was it not?"

"Yes. Given their recent conquests it is no surprise that Khan Osis intends to seize the Black Pearl of the Draconis Combine. The defences are formidable, however."

"We have faced formidable defences before." Ulric paused. "Which have given us some difficulty, I concede. The DCMS lack the technological parity that the AFFC can sometimes bring to bear."

"They do have considerable numbers and with the Luthien Armor Works located on the capital, logistics is not a problem." Focht didn't need to consult any other sources, the information was still fresh in his mind. "Luthien is always guarded by two Sword of Light Regiments and the Otomo. In addition, six District Regular regiments have been assembled in the defence of the capital and Luthien is also the fall back location of many regiments which have been fighting the Smoke Jaguars over the last year – the Yurei regiments are consolidating their forces into two full-strength brigades and a third brigade from the Ryuken regiments is assembling."

"I don't recall any world in my lifetime that has needed such a formidable defensive army but Khan Osis is facing the prospect of having to defeat at least eighteen regular BattleMech regiments along with conventional support and probably a considerable number of militia units assembled from the nobility of the Combine – there are hundreds of 'MechWarrior families on Luthien who may be called on as a last resort. And it is entirely possible that the Kanrei has additional forces on the way."

"I see why you consider this force formidable," admitted Lucien Carns. "And why Khan Osis would want reinforcements."

"Reinforcements yes, a rival in his invasion corridor is another matter, quiaff?"

"Aff. Ian Hawker is very much influenced by Khan Crichell. I had envisaged that we would be activated to support Clan Smoke Jaguar and the Diamond Sharks to fight alongside the Jade Falcons."

"Hawker is Crichell's creature but their Clans are commercial rivals. Besides, Vandervahn Chistu already has to share their invasion corridor with the Steel Vipers. He would be opposed to a third Clan joining them."

"And do you anticipate needing a reserve Clan?"

"If I thought we did, I would be honoured to fight alongside Clan Nova Cat. However, we have our Invasion Corridor well in hand. If you were activated to join us, the only opportunity for you would be to crash headlong into the AFFC's best defences and much as it might please Khan Osis, I do not feel that is in the best interests of the Clans."

"And the Ghost Bears, of course, are the closest to Terra. They certainly will claim no need for us except to bolster their garrisons – at best!" Carns scowled. "I will not stand for this, Ulric. The Nova Cats will not be slighted in this fashion."

Ulric nodded. "I agree, Khan Carns. Clan Nova Cat has the right to be activated prior to Clan Diamond Shark for the invasion. On any vote to alter that, my vote and Khan Dinour's will be in support of you. If the Smoke Jaguars are so determined to buy the Diamond Sharks' aid instead though, why not consider what price they – and the ilKhan – may be willing to offer you for your consent?"

The Nova Cat's eyes narrowed and then he swung sharply to Focht. "Tell me, what do the Smoke Jaguars offer the Sharks for their support on Luthien?"

Focht considered. None of the other Khans had asked for his silence on the matter and thinking back… perhaps that was intentional on Leo Showers' part. He was an adept politician and if he thought that Khan Ulric would use the information to obtain the Nova Cat's agreement for him…

"Firstly, what I understand to be very generous commercial access to Smoke Jaguar worlds within their invasion corridor. Secondly, temporary staging areas within Smoke Jaguar territory for the attack on Luthien. Thirdly, a division of the Invasion Corridor onwards from Luthien…" he began to detail crisply.

.o0o.

 **Warlord's Palace, Enzo**

 **Pesht, Smoke Jaguar Occupation Zone**

 **2 May 3051**

"This will be a most glorious battle," Lincoln Osis completed his detailing of Luthien's defences. "The finest warriors in the most warlike of the Successor States are gathered to face us and it is entirely probable that we will also encounter a hostile warship for the first time in the invasion."

"It must be recognised that Clan Smoke Jaguar must also retain control over our occupation zone and therefore, devoting the full force of our touman to this would be impractical. Therefore I request that the ilKhan activate Clan Diamond Shark from reserve to participate in this operation."

Sevren Leroux rose to his feet. "Khan Hawker," he interjected. "Does your Clan stand prepared to come to the Smoke Jaguar's aid?"

"You are out of order," called the Smoke Jaguar's new saKhan, Kincaid Furey. "Khan Osis addressed the ilKhan."

"And in doing so he insults my Clan and seeks to circumvent a ruling of this Council." The Nova Cat leader's voice was unruffled. "You may decide for yourself which you find more offensive. Do you have an answer for me, Khan Hawker… or should I allow you time to consult with Khan Crichell?"

"We are ready willing and able to join this battle, Leroux!"

"If," Barbara Sennet added sharply from her seat next to the senior Khan of the Diamond Sharks, "The Grand Council approves, of course."

"Of course." Leroux smiled thinly. "The ilKhan is - of course - wise enough to know that he may not overrule the Grand Council. And the Grand Council recognised following a Trial of Refusal by my own Clan and Khan Sennet's, that of the three Reserve Clans for the invasion the Steel Vipers had won the first right to be activated and after that, Clan Nova Cat. Clan Diamond Shark may be activated only if both the other reserve Clans have already been called on."

"Do you then wish to fight on Luthien alongside Clan Smoke Jaguar?" asked Showers from his throne.

Carns chuckled, a deep and dangerous sound deep in his throat. "After they insult us by seeking the Diamond Sharks first? Not even if they begged us on bended knee."

"But nor will we allow our rights and honour to be slighted," added Leroux. "If you grant Khan Osis the Sharks then the Cats must also be activated."

Showers nodded. "You make a strong point. Yet where will you serve? Khan Jorgenssen, do you seek the support of the Nova Cats?"

Jorgenssen stood and bowed to the Nova Cats. "Of all the invading Clans, we stand the nearest to Terra. If there was a need, you would be welcome, but there is no such need and I will not insult you by offering you service as garrisons." He looked over at Osis and Furey. "They speak truly though – to activate Clan Diamond Shark before them would be to break the dictates of this Council."

"Khan Ulric?"

"I have discussed this with Khan Carns," Ulric confirmed. "We are not seeking the activation of any reserve Clan at this time. And the law supports the Nova Cat's position."

"I am aware of the law." The ilKhan glared. "Are you sure you would not give them the opportunity to strike at Tamar, at Laurent? I see a gap forming between you and Clan Steel Viper."

"That matter is well in hand. If Clan Steel Viper are concerned, they may challenge us for the right to those worlds. Otherwise we shall take them when we find it convenient."

"And if I order their activation for that purpose?"

"Then we will demand a Trial of Refusal," shouted Lucien Carns. "To be fought in the Smoke Jaguar Corridor – the full might of our Clan against theirs. We will not be your dagger against Kerensky's Clan! We would rather seize our own corridor and expel those that hold it than be used in such a fashion."

"Peace!" called Cassius N'Buta from the Star Adder desk. "Is this what our invasion has come to? Petty squabbles between the leaders of our Clans?"

"Khan Crichell, Khan Breen." Leo Showers turned to the leaders of the final Invasion Corridor. "Do you seek the support of Clan Nova Cat?"

"The corridor is already crammed with our existing forces," Vandervahn Chistu spoke up. "When we move forward for the next wave of attacks, Clan Jade Falcon will already have to extend our corridor's limits or be penned behind the Vipers. I would not deny the Nova Cats the opportunity for honourable battle, but two Clans is all that a Corridor can accommodate."

Unspoken was that if the Nova Cats did join the Steel Vipers and Jade Falcons, by default they would have to bypass both Clans placing them in the lead.

"Then let them have their own corridor," suggested Charles Dinour quietly, before the ilKhan could make any further move.

"What do you propose?" asked Leroux.

"The Federated Commonwealth is by any measure the most dangerous adversary we face. They have a depth of resources and reserves unmatched in the Inner Sphere. I propose that Clan Nova Cat be activated with a special mission beyond the Invasion Corridors. Tharkad and the industrial heartlands of the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth are less than two hundred light years from the edge of the Jade Falcon occupation zone. A concerted campaign towards those worlds would force them to thin their defences in front of Clan Wolf, Clan Steel Viper and Clan Jade Falcon."

"The goal of our invasion is Terra," protested Kincaid Furey. "That takes the Nova Cats away from the motherworld."

"I was under the impression that your Clan did not want the Nova Cats near them?" jabbed Perigard Zalman. "I like this plan."

The ilKhan rose to his feet. "Be silent," he ordered. "This proposal has merit. Let us examine a map of the Inner Sphere."

A holographic display sprang to life before them, marking out the realms of the Successor Lords and the zones liberated from them by the Clans.

"Khan Dinour, show us in more detail what you have in mind."

The Khan activated controls on one of the terminals provided when the Grand Council gathered. "Let the Nova Cats make temporary use of Alyina, here in the Jade Falcon zone," he proposed. "From here they can strike through the thin line of Tamar March worlds along our flank and into the Donegal March. Their objective would be the triangle of worlds defined by Coventry, Donegal and Alarion – a triangle that includes Tharkad – a prize equal to Luthien."

Sevren Leroux nodded. "Subject to two conditions, this is acceptable to my Clan."

"Conditions?"

"Firstly, so long as we do not impede any of your invasion corridors, we retain the right to make our way to Terra. There has been discussion of the Clan to first arrive becoming the ilClan and that is not a prize we would relinquish."

"I have no objection to this," agreed Ulric and the other Khans nodded wisely. After all, the Nova Cats would have to carve their way through the densely populated Isle of Skye to reach Terra from Tharkad.

"Secondly, I will have no question that Clan Nova Cat was activated first. We will make our first assault on the Inner Sphere before the end of the month. But Clan Diamond Shark may make no attack until the beginning of June."

"Outrageous!" shouted Ian Hawker. "You have no say in another Clan's military operations!"

"This is not a matter of your military operations. This is a matter of the date your Clan is activated."

"Since both Clans will need most of this month simply to reach their initial objectives, this seems a small detail – a matter of only a few days delay at most" Bjorn Jorgensson gestured to the ilKhan. "If Khan Leroux agrees that any failure by his Clan to meet their intended date to begin operations need not delay any action by Clan Smoke Jaguar or Clan Diamond Shark then I also support this measure."

Leo Showers nodded, smiling thinly. "I call the Council to vote on this matter. Let a vote of aye be approval of Khan Dinour's proposal, as modified by Khan Leroux and Khan Jorgenssen. Let a vote of nay be rejection of that plan."

The vote in favour was overwhelming.

"Khan Leroux, your Clan is activated from the reserve. Please present your preliminary operations plan to the Grand Council tomorrow. Khan Hawker, your Clan will be activated on the first day of June. Coordinate your plans with Khan Osis and be ready to present a joint operations plan after Khan Leroux."

.o0o.

 **The Triad, Tharkad**

 **Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **24 May 3051**

"Your highness, Defensive Line Gamma has fallen."

Melissa Steiner-Davion looked up from her breakfast. "Good morning, Aunt Nondi." She raised her glass and sipped from it. "Ardan, you look like you've both been up all night. Why don't you both take seats and have something to eat. It won't do morale any good if two Marshals of the Armies are walking around like zombies."

The two Marshals in question exchanged looks and accepted seats. The discreet staff served up plates of food before withdrawing out of earshot.

"Very well now." Melissa pointed her fork at Nondi. "Are you suggesting Tamar is under threat?"

Ardan poured out two large cups of coffee from the carafe and passed one, unsweetened, to Nondi. "Let me." He sipped from his own cup. "We've received two updates from the Clan front overnight. Firstly, a sixth Clan has made an appearance – Clan Nova Cat has elements of three Galaxies inbound over Mkuranga."

"Alright, that is concerning. We knew they were in reserve and that some of their forces were expected to arrive in the Inner Sphere, but throwing them directly into battle suggests the Clans are rather desperate, wouldn't you say?"

"Possibly, but it also means that they're digging deep into reserves – they aren't backing down. Melissa… Mkuranga is technically part of Defence Line Gamma but since it wasn't attacked last year we've stripped it to bolster other parts of the line – it won't withstand the Nova Cats for long."

"I assume that we'll be withdrawing those troops as expeditiously as possible?"

"That's correct. We've already pulled off Moritz and Skokie is only holding on because Natasha Kerensky is playing bait and pulling every Wolf unit that gets a sniff of her after her like dogs in heat."

The Archon raised her eyebrows. "In other words, Natasha's usual relationship with the opposite gender?"

There wasn't even the slightest quirk of humour in Ardan's face. "Usually they aren't shooting at her."

"That isn't the way I hear it. Never mind. I understand you're taking the opportunity to withdraw everything possible from Skokie while the Wolves are distracted. Do try to evacuate Natasha's command if possible."

"I'll do what I can. That only really leaves Sevren and Tamar of the original defence line and Sevren has also been stripped of troops to prop up other worlds. There's a strong garrison on Tamar but if the Wolves are willing to pay the price then they can take it."

"You don't think they'll take that bait though?"

Nondi re-entered the conversation, cup empty. "Unfortunately, the Wolf Khan is this Ulric Kerensky and he has more brains than practically all of the Steel Vipers combined. He's moving at Volders and Kobe, striking out of the old Rasalhague worlds. If he keeps that up then he'll link up with the Vipers and Tamar will be cut off."

"Tamar is largely self-sufficient."

"But it doesn't have any major military production. Without shipments from the rest of the Commonwealth, the garrison will slowly lose effectiveness. We've got six regiments there now – and as long as the Wolves decline to attack they're effectively out of the war."

"So are the garrisons that Ulric will need to place on worlds around Tamar in case we use them as the base for a counter-attack. If it looks like the supply lines will be cut then I agree, reducing Tamar's garrison would make sense – but for now, leave them there. You need the shipping for evacuating Skokie anyway."

Ardan nodded. "And we'll need more here."

"Oh?"

"That's the second piece of news. The Jade Falcons are on the move – they're striking at Babaeski and Antares. That means they're – at least for now – not following their original axis of advance. If they do keep going then they and the Nova Cats are going to enter the Donegal March within the next month or two – and we don't have a defensive line to stop them, the way we have in the Tamar March."

"We knew we could never be strong everywhere, Ardan. So what do we have?"

Nondi pulled out a map of the Commonwealth. "The danger zone is a breakthrough of Coventry or Summit PDZ. Either of them would give them a route through to Tharkad. We've been building up an army group in the area to act as support if we went on the offensive, but they haven't received a lot of the upgraded equipment – we've been prioritizing units positioned on factory worlds and in the Tamar March."

"Also we've been trying not to move RCTs since they take up so much shipping, so a lot of the army group is made up of mercenaries and independent regiments," warned Ardan.

"Such as?"

Ardan pointed at the tip of Summit PDZ, the worlds nearest to the Jade Falcons. "The backbone of our forces here are the Illician Lancers. Four 'Mech regiments, concentrated here on Bountiful Harvest. There are another four regiments on Esteros but that's a shakier brigade – the Fourth Skye Rangers, the Second Albion Cadet Cadre, the Aragon Borderers and Warrior House Hiritsu. Without conventional troops or upgrades, they're going to have real trouble if the Clans hit there – and it's very likely that they will."

"Coventry PDZ – and possibly Neerabup PDZ if for some reason they go in that direction aren't much better although we might be able to pull in more units from near the Periphery." Nondi took over the map. "There's another Albion Cadet Cadre on Zhongshan and a mercenary regiment on Blumenort but that's a very thin line of defence if they turn back. If they go straight for Coventry – which seems more likely, we have only the Argyle Lancers, the Third Republicans and a short regiment of mercenaries, the Armored Horde, as our first line of defence. And no, I hadn't heard of them either. Newly formed, newly hired, no idea how good they'll turn out to be."

"What about Coventry itself? That's a factory world so the garrison should have been getting a share of modern equipment."

Nondi nodded. "The local March Militia is there and the Twelfth Donegal Guards. Also the Seventeenth Recon Regiment – mercenaries but they have been getting upgrades."

"They were the ones who gave us our first warning that the invasion was coming," Melissa reminded her aunt. "They earned that and if the Clans reach Coventry then I think we can rely on Colonel Camacho to fight hard against them."

She sat back and started buttering a slice of toast. "So now that you've spoiled my appetite, what do you suggest?"

"Essentially we'll need to look for the existing units to buy time for us to position reinforcements." Nondi moved her finger on the map from Coventry up to Chahar PDZ. "We can move most of the forces here down to set up defences on a line from Summit, through Arc-Royal to New Capetown. Morgan Kell's regiments have been withdrawn already so we can send them, as well as any other units that can be spared from Tamar."

"It means losing Chahar if the Clans go for it but that's better than losing Tharkad," agreed Ardan. "I also want to prioritise these regiments for equipment coming from Coventry and Tharkad – they're the closest factories so it's our best shot at building up the capacity to fight the Clans."

"That will include giving the new technology to mercenaries and to some of the more fanatical Capellan regiments," warned Nondi. "At the very least, two of the Warrior Houses."

"If they're willing to fight for Lyran worlds then I'm willing to arm them," the Archon instructed. "I approve those plans. And send additional fighter wings to those worlds – if the Nova Cats and Jade Falcons bring their warships into play I'm issuing a pre-emptive authorisation to engage them with nuclear warheads."

.o0o.

 **Haversfjord, Skokie**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **30 May 3051**

Black dropships were in the sky over the valley as Vlad's Wolf Hunters stormed over the ridge and down towards the village that sat in the sheltered inlet – but the dropships were coming in to land which meant that the Wolf Dragoons hadn't made their escape yet.

There weren't any orders to give – the Wolves could see their prey now, turning outside the village to make their stand. Thirty-seven 'Mechs strong, Elementals clinging to their flanks, the Wolf Hunters broke into a spontaneous charge and the surviving Beta Regiment 'Mechs came to meet them, numbering only one 'Mech more.

Right at the heart of the Dragoon line was the Cyclops, its black paint marked with a web-like array of crimson lines. The Black Widow wasn't hiding her position now and Vlad angled towards her.

Seeing Vlad's 'Mech moving in, a Dragoon 'Mech stepped up to shield their leader. Vlad had learned the design was called a Wolfhound and abstractly he appreciated the design as one that might one day have a role in the Wolves' touman. Today he snarled at its presumption as the MechWarrior fired its large laser up the slope and scored a line down the blocky leg of the Orion.

Vlad had two such lasers at his disposal though and he raked fire down on the interloper – adding his Gauss Rifle and LRMs to the salvo. Ducking and weaving, the Wolfhound managed to avoid the lasers and missiles but the Gauss Rifle caught it high in the chest, smashing through armour and into the internals.

The Wolfhound half-spun under the impact and then crashed to the mossy ground. That cleared the line of fire for the Black Widow though and her lasers and missiles were as potent as Vlad's own – not to mention his weapons were still cycling from taking down the Wolfhound.

Almost a ton and a half of armour shielded the left flank of the Orion but the wily old Dragoon caught it with one of her lasers, and her autocannon, although her missiles only scattered across the 'Mech and the second laser missed entirely. She knows this design, Vlad reminded himself. And that meant she knows that all the missile storage is in the left side of the chest.

Both 'Mechs were running warm after the salvos but Vlad forced the Orion to keep closing in, angling the chest to one side to defend the vulnerable left. It meant he could fire only his gauss rifle and one laser, which at least let his heatsinks reduce the internal temperature. Both shots hit – the Cyclops wasn't remotely as agile as the Wolfhound had been – and plates of armour flaked away from both legs.

I'm not going to try to take out your ammunition, Vlad thought as if Kerensky could read those thoughts. I just need to cripple you so you can't get away from me.

Her own return fire spared her lasers in order to cool but she spread LRMs, SRMs and cluster ammunition from her autocannon across the Orion. Despite his best efforts at least some damage was done to the left side of Vlad's 'Mech and he saw that the SRM launcher was out of action.

"Vlad, the dropships!" shouted Ranna.

Looking up he saw that the dropships were still coming down to land, immediately behind the embattled Wolf Dragoons and their turrets were pouring fire into the Wolf Hunters.

"We can take it," he decided. "Keep at them!"

He fired again, unloading everything into the legs of Kerensky's Cyclops. Like most assault 'Mechs they were heavily armoured but the impact of twelve LRMs, a gauss slug and two more lasers was shaving them bare.

Kerensky fired back but he'd turned in time after firing to keep his left flank shielded and although armour fell away from the Orion it was nothing that the 'Mech couldn't manage.

Then armoured panels blew away and the Orion lurched violently. Vlad felt the feet skid on the ground and barely braced it against a fall that could have sent him rolling down the slope. Missile launcher dead. Left arm systems severed.

What, had someone...?

The Wolfhound rose up – in bypassing it he'd left his flank open.

With a cry of frustration, Vlad fired into it. The Gauss Rifle blew off the right arm with its large laser and his remaining laser skewered the penetration caused by his earlier shot, blowing apart the medium laser mounted there and leaving the Wolfhound's left arm hanging loose in imitation of his Orion's arm.

With a roar of jump-jets, Ranna's Wakazashi slammed down next to Vlad, barely absorbing another salvo from the Black Widow's Cyclops.

The Wolfhound fired back fearlessly, flensing more armour away from the much larger Orion. An instant later a salvo of LRMs from one of the dropships crashed down and Vlad realised his armour was paper-thin now around the cockpit.

With a snarl he brought his Gauss Rifle to bear and slammed a shot squarely into the chest of the Wolfhound. It staggered and the head exploded upwards, detaching as the light 'Mech crashed to the ground. A whole-head ejection system. Conceptually brilliant, Vlad had to admit.

Then Natasha Kerensky skipped her 'Mech a half-step to one side and poured a salvo into his Orion's right side. Something penetrated and the Gauss Rifle capacitor discharged, frying the electronics on that side of the 'Mech.

Disarmed in all but the most literal sense, Vlad was reduced to a spectator. "Ranna, I will block her fire – finish her!"

There was a chuckle and it wasn't Ranna. "You've balls, kid. No brains, but big brass balls. You going to do that, girl?"

"It is an order from my Star Colonel, great-grandmother."

The Black Widow paused. "Well there's a thing. But sometimes orders don't make any damn sense." Her Cyclops spread its arms. "Look around you, Star Colonel. You might kill me – but there's enough Dragoons left to destroy every last one of you, even without the dropships."

She was right, Vlad realised with a sinking feeling. Only about a binary was left of his Cluster – at least of those immediately combat worthy. The Dragoons, somehow, had half-again their number still standing. The 'Mechs had drawn apart slightly and ceased fire as their leaders conversed, but it would take only a word for the carnage to resume.

He hesitated... but that very hesitation was a decision.

"I offer you hegira, Natasha Kerensky."

"What!?"

His lips drew back. "This planet – is ours! This battlefield – is ours! You may leave with your warriors and your honour. But remember, you do so because I – because Clan Wolf - chooses to allow it."

"Maybe you do have a brain in there after all," the Black Widow admitted. Her Cyclops crossed to where the Wolfhound's cockpit had landed. Now that the stress of battle had faded, Vlad saw that a jagged teeth arrangement had been marked out in metal on the face of the cockpit, so that it would appear on magscan. "Star Colonel... what is your name?"

"Vladimir Ward."

"I'll remember it," the Black Widow noted and it sounded much less threatening than he thought it should. "Very well, Star Colonel Ward. I accept your offer of hegira."

Lifting the Wolfhound's head in both hands the Cyclops turned and walked to where the dropships were setting down. It wouldn't take all of them to lift what was left of the Wolf Dragoon's Beta Regiment off Skokie any more.

"We will meet again."

"When I was younger and dumber, I would have said that too!" the Black Widow called before her Cyclops disappeared from view.

.o0o.

 **Tairahana Plains, Luthien**

 **Pesht District, Draconis Combine**

 **3 June 3051**

Shin Yodama watched the horizon through his cockpit and wished, somewhat disloyally, he admitted, that Takashi Kurita was not in command of the capital's defence.

Unfortunately, the only man who might possibly have persuaded Takashi to take a secondary role wasn't even present – Theodore Kurita, the Gunji no Kanrei, hadn't returned since the celebrations of Hohiro's victory on Albiero concluded.

"Are your forces ready, grandson?" demanded the old man from the cockpit of his Battlemaster, the words crackling across the open channel.

Hohiro's voice was steady. "My regiments are prepared."

This would not be like the river delta. The Clans had landed on the south side of the Tairahana plains and Takashi had simply formed his own forces into a triple line on the north side. Six regiments of District Regulars made up the bulk of the front line – the Dieron regulars to the east, the Galedon Regulars to the west and the Benjamin Regulars in the centre. Between the three regional commands stood two of the heavily reinforced Sword of Light regiments and screening them from any surprise assault were all available hover tank battalions.

To the rear, the Otomo regiment and an irregular regiment of Takashi's old cronies – the Dragon's Claws – held the Kadoguchi valley, the widest route through the hills to the Imperial City. They were backed by the heavy tank battalions and infantry regiments dug into the hills to either side – the final line of defence.

Between these two lines was Hohiro's command – two brigades consolidating what had once been eleven regiments of Yurei warriors occupying the centre and the west of the line and to the east three regiments of the Ryuken – once the students of the Wolf's Dragoons and still deemed somewhat irregular. Additional militia regiments scraped together from various noble entourages occupied the extreme ends of the line, stiffened by the two surviving Genyosha battalions.

The retreat from Albiero to Luthien had cost the Smoke Jaguars time and machines... but it had also gutted the core of Theodore's 'new model army' within the DCMS.

"So is history," Takashi proclaimed. "Twenty-four entire regiments of BattleMechs on one field against the ultimate foe. We are the divine wind of our ancestors and we shall sweep all before us."

Hohiro's voice sounded weary. "Let us be more the mighty mountain home of the Dragon. The waves may crash at us, but when they recede, the mountain remains."

"Ha! Perhaps you have a little poetry in you after all."

Shin opened a private channel to Hohiro. "Sir, please tell me he wasn't about to order a charge."

"I believe he was tempted, Shin." The Tai-sho sighed deeply. "He looks at us and sees two and a half thousand BattleMechs – no one in living memory has assembled such an army in one place. But based on the incoming dropships, we're looking at over a thousand Clan BattleMechs and the spirits alone know how many of their Elementals."

"And on Albiero we needed almost three to one odds to succeed."

"Three to one on good ground." And this, they both knew, was not good ground. Not with Clan weapons significantly outranging those used by most of the regiments here. "I hope you have taken care of all the necessary preparations... just in case."

Shin nodded. "Hai."

"Good. That's... good."

'Good' was not a word that most would have chosen for Shin's preparations. But if the worst came to the worst...

"My sister," continued Hohiro, "Has great confidence in grandfather's plan." The negative karma for that lie would probably haunt the prince for several reincarnations. Omi Kurita had been extremely helpful in making preparations for the worst case scenario. "And so she has declined evacuation and will remain in the Imperial City during the battle."

"Then I look forward to accompanying you to inform her of the Dragon's victory."

"That would be pleasant, Shin. However, it is not foreordained that all samurai will survive, even in victory. Since my brother and father don't have the privilege of standing with us today, if for any reason I am unable to in the future – please do me the favour of protecting her in my place."

"I am not truly a samurai, Hohiro. But come what may, you and your family shall have my faithful service."

There was a crackle on the general channel and then: "All DCMS units, this is the central command centre. Helicopter scouts have detected Clan ground forces on the move near Basin Lake. Seven sub-formations have been identified – it appears that Smoke Jaguar units will encounter our left flank with units tentatively identified as belonging to Clan Diamond Shark moving on our right and centre."

"It seems we won't have the pleasure of Clan Smoke Jaguar's company today," Shin observed lightly. "They will be terribly disappointed."

"This could be a long day." Hohiro switched channels to the general one. "Coordinator, perhaps now might be an appropriate time to launch our fighters. The Clan's aerospace assets are likely to try to engage us before their comrades on the ground enter the range for a melee."

.o0o.

 **Imperial City, Luthien**

 **Pesht District, Draconis Combine**

 **3 June 3051**

"Concentrate fire on that Hellbringer!" shouted Shin, firing his own lasers into the heavy 'Mech. PPCs, LRMs and light autocannon tore into the 'Mech but not before its paired PPCs gutted an unfortunate Whitworth.

The rest of the Diamond Shark Star weren't backwards in bringing their fire to bear either – the Warhawk in the lead had chosen a Quickdraw as its particular target and it fired all four of its over-powered PPCs into the 'Mech's chest, tearing away every shred of armour and burning into the interior systems. By some miracle the ammunition didn't explode, but the 'Mech wouldn't survive another such salvo.

Shin highlighted one of the two Mad Dogs as the next target and scored on it with his large laser as it speared a Jenner with the pulse lasers in its arms.

The one benefit of Takashi's deployment was that the Clans had expended the lion's share of their ammunition in breaking through the first line.

'Breaking through'. They'd torn the line to shreds and eight of the finest regiments in the DCMS had died almost to a man for pitifully little accomplishment.

Even Takashi had been shocked out of his delusions.

"I'm beginning to think the Coordinator was right to charge," Shin confessed as he saw Hohiro's Hatamoto-Kaze firing PPCs and missiles into the Mad Dog. "At least they haven't had a chance to reload."

"Something for the military historians to argue about," grunted the Tai-sho. "Ah, got you!" he added as the Mad Dog fell.

The other Mad Dog was also down but that still left the Warhawk and a Gargoyle to bring down, the two 'Mechs both currently engaging a Kintaro and a Crab respectively. "Take down the Warhawk!" called out Hohiro and the tattered remains of the battalion brought their guns obediently to bear.

Despite the staggering firepower being directed at it, the eight-five ton war machine survived the initial barrage. Raising its one remaining arm it fired both PPCs – but rather than the Kintaro, it was aiming them for Hohiro's Hatamoto-Kaze.

"Nooooo!" screamed Shin as one shot intersected the 'Mech's cockpit.

The fury was echoed by other voices and Shin fired his jump-jets, shooting his Phoenix Hawk forwards on an arc towards the larger 'Mech. Shots slammed into the agile 'Mech, some of them wildly fired by his own comrades, but nothing would stop him from driving the right fist (the only remaining fist) of his 'Mech through the cockpit of the Clan warrior.

The impact smashed his large laser but it also tore half the cockpit – and half the 'MechWarrior within – away from the Warhawk.

The Gargoyle was retreating, and since the 'Mech was fully capable of a startling degree of speed for its size, Shin was inclined to let it go.

"Command Centre, this is Tai-sa Yodama, of the Nineteenth Yurei Regiment. The Clans are withdrawing from our vicinity. I believe they intend to regroup and renew the attack. Over."

There was nothing on the channel.

"Command Centre, do you read me?"

Still nothing. A cold chill went down Shin's spine and he switched to another frequency. "Coordinator, this is Tai-sa Yodama. The Command Centre isn't responding. A headhunter unit may have penetrated our lines."

"How would they have done that, Tai-sa? We have the hills secured."

"Elementals can be surprisingly stealthy, sire. Or they may have carried out an air drop. With our fighters engaged over the battlefield, they could have slipped past. In any case, unless they resume contact, our coordination will suffer."

"Hah." The old man grunted. "I am told the Clans are falling back. You are that criminal my grandson took as his aide. Get him on this frequency so I can discuss pressing the attack."

"Tai-sho Kurita is dead." Shin could tell that his own voice was dead – fatigue, grief... and anger. "His cockpit took a direct hit. Pressing the attack is futile – the Clans' have faster 'Mechs than we do – they'll reach their staging areas and rearm before we can catch up."

"Damn you for a coward, Yodama."

"All of your samurai are dead, Lord Kurita. If anyone will win this battle for you now it will have to be gutter warriors like me because there is no one else left."

Takashi Kurita's voice was sour with frustration and – yes, with grief. "I should put your head on a spike, Yodama, but you are right. Very well. I will give the commands."

A moment later, as good as his words, the Coordinator spoke on the command channel. "All warriors of the DCMS, disengage from the enemy and regroup on the hills. Tai-sa Asano will command our left flank and Tai-sa Yodama will command the right. Units in the centre, report to me directly."

At least Narimasa Asano was alive – that was something.

The battalion, little more than a company left and they had done better than some units, formed up around Shin as he led them back towards the hills. Four of the largest 'Mechs had each seized one limb of Hohiro's Hatamoto and they were carrying it, which slowed them down but that didn't seem to matter right now.

Carefully flipping through the regimental and battalion frequencies, Shin pieced together what strength remained to his flank and directed them all to use the frequencies previously allocated only to the Nineteenth Yurei Regiment.

It would simplify matters and besides... there really wasn't much more than a regiment left.

"Yodama, what is your force strength?" There was more humanity to Takashi's words than there had been earlier.

"One hundred thirty-eight 'Mechs operational, most in need of reloading and repair. Some of those operational 'Mechs are marginal at best but they can at least move and shoot with something. Of that count, seven 'Mechs are survivors of the Galedon Regulars and fourteen of the Genyosha. The rest are Yurei – not one of the militia 'Mechs reported in although I suppose some of them might simply not care to."

The extremes of the second line had come apart despite the best efforts of the Genyosha, once again proving that the ancient military maxim 'you cannot stiffen spit with buck-shot'. Warriors who had not served since even before the Fourth Succession War or who had not yet entered a formal academy were almost never ready for the shock of fighting the Clans, particularly when most of their 'Mechs were barely fit for battle to begin with.

"Very well. Our technical crews and reloading teams are on their way to the designated points – a contingency Hohiro set up. We may have time to apply armour patches and refill some magazines before the Clans return."

"Yes sir." He hesitated. "I request permission to notify your grand-daughter of her brother's death."

"Don't over-reach yourself, Yodama."

Well, that wasn't a specific prohibition... The channel he switched to wasn't military, but it was one that should be monitored by Omi Kurita's servants amid the Order of Five Pillars.

"Shada, this is Sanyu. Please respond, over." Shada, the disloyal daughter of the founder of the Kurita dynasty and Sanyu, the founder of the Order of Five Pillars – not a complex code but one easy to remember, if deeply ironic with some of the choices of name.

The response was quick and Omi's own voice. "Sanyu, this is Shada. We are short one crate. Status report please."

"Victor is negative," he reported. Crate meant the command centre – confirmation it had been taken out somehow. "Shiro positive. Is Urizen available?"

"Understood. I confirm Victor negative, Shiro positive. Urizen is unavailable. Is delivery still possible?"

Shin grimaced. He didn't have a count on the casualties among the Clans, but he doubted that they were above fifty percent from the parts of the battle he'd seen – and the battalion around he and Hohiro had been among the most successful. "Not unless the weather changes."

"Weather report remains stable, Sanyu. Shall I arrange collection?"

"If you leave now, you should be able to collect by sunset."

Omi's voice was frosty. "I will send someone at sunset. Shada, out."

Shin sighed. "Sanyu out."

So Theodore had still not been heard from and no reinforcements were arriving. Worse, Omi had declined to leave the Imperial City and even if he deserted his post and made best speed back to the city in his 'Mech, the chances of finding her were negligible.

"Can't save your world, can't save your sister," he apologised in the privacy of his cockpit to the ghost of Hohiro. "All I can do is deny them the wealth of Luthien to your enemies."

His radio chirped for attention. "Yodama."

"Tai-sa Yodama." Narimasa Asano's calm voice might have been a balm under any other circumstances. "I have discussed our tactical situation with the Coordinator. My estimation is that the Clans retain at least four hundred operational BattleMechs – rough parity with our own forces. I have recommended allowing them to cross the plains and engaging among the hills. Our remaining artillery and air cover will do what they can to soften their forces up as the cross the plains. Do you concur?"

"I concur, Tai-sa. My forces are consolidated into four understrength battalions. I propose to send one of them to reinforce the Coordinator's position in the Kadoguchi valley. Given typical Clan directness, it is likely this will be their primary objective."

"A reasonable assessment. Unfortunately, I have under one hundred BattleMechs available so I cannot provide similar reinforcements."

Oh sweet Buddha. "Good luck, Tai-sa."

"It has been an honour to serve alongside a samurai of your calibre, Tai-sa."

Shin blinked. "Er..."

"The worth of a samurai is not their blade or their blood, it is their deeds." Asano cut the channel abruptly.

"Well that was surreal." Shin looked out of his cockpit and saw that the sun was still high in the sky. "Well, perhaps I have time to compose a death haiku before the next attack."

.o0o.

 **Personal Communication – Precentor Martial A. Focht to Primus M. Waterly**

 **Classified – Urgent – Primus**

I regret to advise you that the Luthien HPG station has been destroyed and the majority of our personnel there have been killed. This appears to have been the result of confusion during the Battle of Luthien with the ComGuards garrison mistaken by a Clan Diamond Shark unit for elements of the DCMS.

In the event that a detailed report of the battle has not reached you, the combined forces of Clan Smoke Jaguar and Clan Diamond Shark successfully defeated the defenders – led directly by Coordinator Takashi Kurita – in two large scale engagements on 3 June. DCMS losses were near total, including the loss of two Sword of Light and six District Regular regiments along with the surviving members of the Genyosha regiments, the Otomo and at least eight regiments of militia and yakuza MechWarriors.

Out of seven galaxies committed to the attack – essentially all available frontline forces from the two Clans – final losses appear to be approximately fifty-five percent, with heavier proportionate losses among the Diamond Sharks, who had no previous experience of fighting against the Inner Sphere. Much of this will be recoverable through salvage as well as continuing shipments of personnel and war material from the Clan Home worlds.

Coordinator Takashi Kurita's body was recovered from the battlefield and subsequently disposed of. Prince Hohiro Kurita's body has not been recovered but there are reports from multiple reliable sources that he was reported dead during the first of the two engagements. Theodore Kurita does not appear to have been present, although sundry junior members of House Kurita are unaccounted for.

The only noteworthy casualty among the Clans was Khan Ian Hawker of Clan Diamond Shark. It is expected that junior Khan Barbara Sennet will be elevated to replace him. While Khan Sennet is generally level-headed, she has also indicated that she does not intend to rely on ComStar to handle their communications. Pending your approval I have alerted ComGuard garrisons and HPG staff in Clan Diamond Shark's likely path to be prepared to disable their facilities and evacuate should the need arise. There are some indications I may be able to arrange free passage for such evacuations.

Despite efforts by both sides to confine the conflict to undeveloped regions of Luthien, the collateral damage has been severe. Upon reports of Coordinator Kurita's death, there appears to have been rioting in several cities and a large portion of the Imperial City burned to the ground, including the drop port, numerous administration buildings and the residences of most of the Coordinator's close relatives.

In addition, the Luthien Armor Works complex came under attack by an unidentified third party at approximately the same time. With their heavy combat units co-opted by the Coordinator, LAW security was unable to prevent two-thirds of their facilities from being over-run and the attackers appear to have been carrying literally hundreds of demolition charges. It is estimated that it will take at least five years to restore the factories to full production.

A similar attack caused lesser but still considerable damage to an auxiliary LAW complex (previously owned by Wells Technologies). Both cases are almost certainly ISF-backed operations set up to deny the use of the facilities to the Clans. I have not yet been able to determine whether there were similar attacks on other industrial sites – certainly non-military production has been affected by the rioting which may not have been spontaneous.

At this time, Clan Diamond Shark and Clan Smoke Jaguar are in joint control of Luthien. My understanding is that Clan Diamond Shark will shortly depart to establish their own occupation zone. The heavy casualties taken and the loss of many of the anticipated resources have caused considerable friction between to the two Clans, which may have led to the Sharks' departure being brought forwards. In light of the time needed to make good their losses, I anticipate relatively limited operations from both Clans over the next few months.


	11. Book 3, Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

 **Warlord's Palace, Enzo**

 **Pesht, Smoke Jaguar Occupation Zone**

 **9 June 3051**

Theodore Kurita had visited Pesht more than once in his career with the DCMS.

It was the first time he'd arrived there to carry out a raid.

Pillars of smoke arose from around the city as the Eighth Sword of Light swept through Enzo. The ISF had been very thorough in identifying Smoke Jaguar supply dumps.

Tomoe's Grand Dragon took the lead as Theodore's command lance and that of the Eighth Sword of Light crossed into the plaza outside the palace. A Star of Smoke Jaguar garrison 'Mechs were exiting the palace, two through the gates and the other three using their jump-jets to clear the apparently ornamental but actually heavily reinforced wall that surrounded the palace.

With their massive cloven hooves and low-slung bodies, the design reminded Theodore of the Marauder II that had been developed for the Wolf Dragoons, long before they had ever crossed paths – and swords -with the Draconis Combine. The warbook data from the Federated Commonwealth identified them as Stone Rhinos, highlighting the two barrels rising up from the sloped chest sections as gauss rifles, and the muzzles that capped each arm as large pulse lasers.

Collectively the enemy 'Mechs massed five hundred tons, almost a fifth of that being armour. In a simple slugging match, the Grand Dragons driven by every one of Theodore's force would lose despite outnumbering them eight to five.

The answer was simple – don't allow this to become a slugging match. Moving almost twice as swiftly due to the extra-light Hermes reactors built into them, the DCMS 'Mechs ducked and weaved around the plaza, raking at the lumbering behemoths with their extended-range PPCs and missile launchers. Refitting the Grand Dragons with weapons from the shipment he'd been given by Hanse Davion gave them 50% more firepower - at least – and saved the weight to add another ton and a half of armour.

The buildings around the square were quickly the worse for wear as missed shots crashed against them – unlike the palace wall, the formal hotels and government buildings weren't reinforced to absorb the impact of supersonic gauss rifle slugs or 10cm laser pulses.

Not all of the hammer blows of the Smoke Jaguar weapons went astray, but enough did. These weren't the best of the Clans' warriors or they would have been sent to Luthien. In contrast, both Tai-san Boutri and Theodore were escorted by the best MechWarriors from one of the most elite regiments in the Inner Sphere.

Tomoe darted her Grand Dragon behind one of the Stone Rhinos and unleashed her every weapon. Astoundingly, the thick armour plating was able to absorb that punishment, at least briefly, but as the MechWarrior inside spun his 'Mech around to respond to the attack, he brought the damaged armour into line of sight for two Sword of Light veterans.

The crimson Grand Dragons responded smoothly, blasting the remaining armour protection away with their PPCs and then exploiting the breach with a combined salvo of thirty LRMs.

The Stone Rhino staggered but didn't fall, firing all weapons at Tomoe's Grand Dragon. One gauss rifle shot went between the sixty-ton 'Mech's legs, a second skipped off the pavement and crashed against the calf of the right leg, shattering armour plates. Pulse lasers raked across the left arm and shoulder but the reinforced protection held.

Theodore didn't have the time to line up a perfect shot – there were still four other Stone Rhinos firing at his force - but he and the rest of the unit all saw the limping Stone Rhino as an easy shot.

Five PPCs crashed into the 'Mech from all directions and one of them found the cockpit. One down.

The other Smoke Jaguars moved back to back, to deny the Sword of Light the chance to score on their rear armour again. Outnumbered and outmatched, they still retained the ferocious determination that had become their hallmark. The closed formation prevented them from concentrating their fire though and as three or four of the circling Grand Dragons could engage a single target, rents and vulnerabilities were becoming visible even in their frontal protection.

A Sword of Light 'Mech blew apart as multiple shots to the left torso finally punched through into the LRM bins.

Then a Stone Rhino crashed down, the combined fire of Tai-sa Boutri's entire lance finally penetrating the chest and blasting the gyro to pieces.

Tomoe's Grand Dragon could no longer stay standing after a pair of pulse lasers ripped apart what was left of her right leg. She used what was left of her momentum to throw her 'Mech into the side of an office building, shielding it from at least some incoming fire with the bricks and concrete.

The Smoke Jaguar who had disabled Tomoe's 'Mech had no opportunity to enjoy the victory through, the right side of his 'Mech caved in a moment later after multiple PPC hits and a LRM from Theodore's vengeful salvo must have found some weak-spot in the left flank because the gauss rifle ceased to fire and the left arm went slack, reducing the massive Stone Rhino to fighting with only the anti-infantry laser built into its chin.

Another Stone Rhino disappeared in a blaze of fire as the reactor shielding collapsed. The MechWarrior was hurled upwards by his ejection-seat, barely ahead of the wave of super-heated air that melted much of the 'Mech like a blowtorch through cheap plastic.

Seeing their opportunity, two Sword of Light 'MechWarriors surged in on the last combat-worthy Stone Rhino and dragged its arms back and down pinning the 'Mech in place with both lasers aimed uselessly at the ground and the shoulders well beyond the intended angles of operation.

Both the 'Mech's gauss rifles cracked defiantly, one shot spiking through the cockpit of Tai-sa Boutri, but then the cockpit of the Stone Rhino was simply carved away from the rest of the 'Mech by a salvo of PPC and laser fire that tore away so much of the torso that the nose-like cockpit simply crashed to the ground, intact but useless. (Although the MechWarrior inside probably didn't enjoy the experience.)

"Tomoe?"

"I'm fine," Theodore's wife replied. "But my 'Mech isn't going anywhere without a recovery vehicle."

And since the handful available to this mission were encumbered with material looted from the Smoke Jaguar stockpiles, that wasn't going to be forthcoming.

"Alright, get out of there." Theodore moved his own 'Mech to stand it in front of the gate. "Check for more of them and bring up the infantry."

Personnel carriers that had been lurking in the streets of Enzo as the titans clashed could now arrive safely and disembark their on-board infantry. One battalion spread out to secure the area while the others surged into the palace grounds.

"Remember, I want prisoners," barked Theodore. He unbuckled his safety harness, removed his neurohelmet and popped the hatch of his cockpit. Behind his seat were the daisho swords he had been given by his father upon graduating from Sun Zhang academy, more than half his life ago. A kimono was wrapped around them and he shrugged it on over his cooling vest before clambering up onto the broad shoulders of his Grand Dragon.

The Gunji no Kanrei... no. That was wrong, he reminded himself. I am no longer my father's deputy in military affairs, just as I am no longer the headstrong general leading the Legions of Vega. The Coordinator of the Draconis Combine wrapped his obi twice around his waist and knotted it, thrusting both swords through the belt.

Behind him was the distinctive castle that had looked down on Pesht for generations, one of the most prominent landmarks of the Combine. He pointed at the banners showing the leaping jaguar of the Clan that had conquered Pesht. "Bring down those banners when I give the signal."

"Hai!" One of the Sword of Light MechWarriors called commands down to the ground and an infantry platoon rushed to take control of the flags in question.

"One sniper and you're dead."

He looked down and saw Tomoe now standing on the hand of one of the Sword of Light 'Mechs, low and out of sight of the cameras being set up.

"Yes. But this is not Kentares IV and for all their sins, the Jaguars lack the pragmatism of the Federated Suns. Still, we should complete this before one of them considers the opportunity."

Theodore Kurita faced towards the camera, one hand on the hilt of his katana, the wind blowing at his sweat-soaked hair. "People of the Draconis Combine! Luthien burns!"

He gestured with his free hand for the Smoke Jaguar banners to be removed. "Yes, it burns – with the desire for vengeance on its despoilers. My father fell in battle, but the Dragon lives on. It burns within me as it does within all who strike back at the invaders!"

"Today we have defeated the Smoke Jaguars on Pesht." He turned and pointed, realising with delight that the soldiers had found Combine banners and were, on their own initiative, hoisting them in place of the Jaguar banners. "Here in this very castle, the ilKhan and his officers plotted the invasion of Luthien. Here the Khans of all the Clans gathered to scheme our undoing."

"But when I came here, was the ilKhan waiting with sword in hand to face me?"

Theodore laughed derisively. "The vaunted ilKhan of the Clans has fled our wrath, seeking shelter with the Ghost Bears or perhaps the Wolves." He tapped his sword. "Today the Dragon has seized the Jaguar between its jaws and shaken it until it yowled. My people, this cur has plagued us overlong. The time has come for us to drive it back to its kennel in the outer dark!"

There were cheers from below and around him as Sword of Light infantry and MechWarriors waved their weapons in salute.

With the cameras off, Tomoe was lifted up so she could join him on top of the 'Mech. "You're not planning to spearhead more raids like this, are you?"

Theodore shook his head. "No," he reassured her in a low voice. "I must go to New Samarkand and reassemble our government. Prosecuting the war falls to my Tai-shu now." Now I must hope that this theatre gives us enough appearance of strength that the Sandovals refrain from too much adventurism.

.o0o.

 **Dropship Oktoberfest, Outbound from Sudeten**

 **Steel Viper Occupation Zone**

 **4 July 3051**

Kai Allard-Liao was laid out on his bunk, trying to sleep, when knuckles rapped against the compartment hatch.

"Give me a minute," he groaned. Sleep had been fairly elusive anyway. Unzipping his sleeping bag he swung his legs off the bunk and found the previous day's jumpsuit. It only took a moment to pull it on and zip himself up.

Opening the hatch he blinked as the bright lights of the passageway outside lit the small bunkroom. "'Doc? Is there an emergency?"

He looked past Leftenant Colonel Trevana and saw Diana, glaring defiantly from between two burly infantrymen at a vaguely familiar woman who was escorted by a third infantryman.

"Kind of a disciplinary issue." The colonel glanced down at Kai's bare feet. "Put some shoes on, Kai, I don't want the ladies to lose control at the sight of your ducal toes or something."

"I don't think that's a thing." Kai stepped back and found his boots.

Caradoc shrugged. "Well I'm not an expert on noble courting rites. Anyway, MechWarrior Diana and Doctor Lear here managed to bust up a mess hall fighting over you. That's kind of disruptive so Hauptmann Scott of this lovely rust bucket we're riding on asked me to stop it from happening again. Clever fellow that I am, I remember that I have people I can delegate chores to so this is now your problem."

"Fighting over me?" Kai looked over at Diana and then the other woman, who he now vaguely recalled was one of the Tenth Lyran Guards medical staff. Field surgeon? Something like that, which would fit with Doctor. "I'm going to assume you're just making vague insinuations because you think it's funny, 'Doc."

"Whatever gets you to sleep at night. Just make sure it doesn't happen again, okay?"

"I'll, um, do what I can."

"I can always count on you, Kai."

"Right." Kai rubbed his face. "Diana. Are you going to start another fight?"

"Only if she -"

"Diana, the proper answer here is 'sir, no sir'. Try that again?"

She slumped. "Sir, no sir."

"Good. Doctor Lear?"

She humphed. "I didn't start this one. That was..." The woman scowled at his look. "I am not a violent woman."

Kai tried to ignore the infantryman behind the doctor miming a right hook. "Since we're notionally the same rank, I don't insist on you calling me sir, but could I have a clear yes or no?"

"No, Hauptman, I will not start another fight."

"Thank you. Alright, soldiers, you can move along then." Kai backed into his room – at least he wasn't sharing it – and found a flask of cold coffee. It probably wouldn't have tasted great when it was warm, but even cold it had caffeine in it. "Sit down, both of you." He gestured towards the bunk opposite his.

"I'd rather stand."

"Noted, but sit anyway." He sighed. "Okay. The two of you, fighting in the messhall. Over me, of all topics."

"Hauptmann Kai, she said you were a murderer and the son of a murderer."

Kai closed his eyes and counted to ten. "I've heard worse. Is that basically correct, Doctor Lear."

"Largely, yes." There wasn't an ounce of apology in those two words.

"I assume, Doctor, that in my case you are referring to my military career? I've hardly had any other opportunities to kill, even if I was so inclined. You entered the AFFC for the sponsorship to cover your medical training, didn't you?"

Lear nodded.

"My father can defend himself, Doctor, and he's been called far worse than a murderer. However, your position here is to support the combatant personnel of the Guards. As much stress as you've been under, patching up our wounded when that's possible, it's largely been worse for them. They don't need the hit to morale of you calling us murderers, hired killers or whatever. If that's your personal opinion then save it until you've finished your AFFC obligations."

He turned to Diana. "I'm fairly sure I recall explaining the code of military justice to you. Remind me, what's the penalty for striking a superior officer?"

The ex-Jade Falcon thought. "Court martial may decree penalties ranging from imprisonment of not less than five years to execution."

"Yes. You do have a choice though – Colonel Trevana has referred this to me so I can either refer this back to him for court martial or apply summary judgement now."

"Don't I have a choice in whether or not to press charges?"

"You should have paid more attention to your orientation briefing, Doctor. In civilian life, your rights not to be assaulted would take precedence. As a soldier, those rights are superseded by the fact that the assault is prejudicial to good order. Of course, so were your remarks..."

"But you won't be able to throw her in a cell or execute her."

"Do you think she deserves that, Doctor?"

Doctor Lear made a pained look. "Not execution, no."

"Summary punishments can also be what a formal court martial would refrain from as cruel and unusual." Kai looked over at Diana. "Well?"

"Your judgement, Hauptmann Kai."

He nodded. "Fine." Rummaging around inside his bag he pulled out a worn toothbrush. "Diana, since you have all this excess energy, you can put it to use cleaning the deck of every passageway on the troop deck, using this. You'll have to fit this in around your other responsibilities, which shouldn't be so bad while we're in transit. You'll also have to fit in with Doctor Lear's schedule since she'll be overseeing this."

"I'm too busy for that, Hauptmann."

"I'm sure you'll find time for it, Doctor. Think of it as an exercise in getting used to your fellow soldiers. Diana, you're only to do your punishment while Doctor Lear is present. Oh, and by the way, you both owe each other a public apology – in the mess hall, while the Colonel is there, if you please. Just to let him know that this is finished and dealt with."

Kai waited until both women had left and then slumped back onto his bunk. Morale was shaky enough after having to evacuate Sudeten and now troops still keyed up for action would be jammed into transports all the way to Coventry. Brawling inside the dropship wasn't going to help unless he could find a mud-pit and bikinis for Lear and Diana to fight in.

He shook his head to try to banish the mental image. "Get out of the gutter, Kai," he muttered. Oh, and now he needed a new toothbrush.

.o0o.

 **Katyusha, Strana Mechty**

 **Kerensky Cluster, Clan Home worlds**

 **20 July 3051**

Cyrilla Ward rubbed her face, feeling every one of her more than seventy years. The annual trials of position to allow her to retain her warrior status were getting harder and harder. And it seemed that Natasha Kerensky would not be returning so they could fulfil their pact to end their lives fighting Clan Smoke Jaguar together.

"More reports?" she asked out loud.

"Yes, from Eden now."

The holographic display in the middle of the circular chamber added a fourth globe to those already rotating slowly. Blue and red markers with identifying dagger-stars for composition and alpha-numeric strings to show unit names marked out where Clan Wolf's remaining forces on each world were stationed and where they were coming under attack.

Tiber, Glory and Grant's Station were all worlds here in the Kerensky Cluster but Eden was Clan Wolf's main stronghold in the Pentagon Worlds.

"It seems that Clan Hells Horses have decided that sending their forces all the way to the Inner Sphere is less immediately profitable than striking at us here." The two Clans were not on particularly bad terms and except for the Crusader-Warden split they could even have been considered allies at times. Obviously this was not one of these times.

"We aren't going to be able to hold them with just the forces here," Cyrilla decided. "They've despatched serious forces and we are badly out-numbered on all fronts. The most we can hope for is to hold them back long enough to pull our most critical resources off those worlds and consolidate."

"You are talking about almost half of our enclaves!"

"I am talking about parts of four worlds when we control dozens in the Inner Sphere." Cynthia leant over and looked at the technicians feeding data to the holodisplay. "Update with the resources of each enclave. Military, economic, scientific..."

The display grew rapidly more complex as the data being shown multiplied.

Cyrilla nodded. "Alright, start here on Tiber. The Horses are converging on our military strongholds and that will give them access to the sibkos in the west-central plateaus. All those facilities need to be evacuated." She highlighted them and then de-selected a pair of scientific research facilities. "Agronomy research is useful but not vital to the survival of the Clan. On the other hand we have mines here – most of the equipment is too large to move easily but key tooling and the operators can be removed – we'll need dropship space but taking the assigned technicians, their families and a few thousand tons of equipment will cut the prize that the Horses take from us."

The process of winnowing down what could be taken or evacuated from each world went on. Swampy Glory had surprisingly little – it had always been a resource-sink, Cyrilla thought. On the other hand Eden was going to a major loss. Fortunately the garrison had been reinforced with the units previously stationed on Circe but even so, the two Hells Horses galaxies were going to overwhelm them.

"Is there anywhere else we can pull forces from to buy time on Eden?"

"Our only other Clusters in the Pentagon are defending the Dagda enclaves."

Cyrilla pulled up Dagda on the holographic display. It was still a wealthy world but it had only ever been of secondary importance to Clan Wolf, despite a population of over seven million. Most of the most vital resources in their enclaves, such as the W-9 assembly plant, had already been removed for shipment to the Inner Sphere.

"Just one secondline Cluster wouldn't make a difference." Then she spun the globe and saw the Goliath Scorpion garrison on their neighbouring enclaves. "Hmm."

The younger – much younger – officers and technicians manning the command centre watched as she spun Dagda back and forth.

Then she wheeled away, suddenly energized. "Send word to Dagda – the garrison is to board dropships and make best speed to Eden to reinforce our clusters. Notify Star Colonel Fetladral to slow the Hells Horses down – assure him reinforcements are on the way."

Cyrilla crossed the floor to another console. "Contact the senior Goliath Scorpion officer on Dagda and arrange a real-time conversation with him."

"When?"

"Now, if not sooner." The years fell away from Cyrilla's face as she went back to the centre. "Grant's Station, tell the warriors on the ground to see if they can draw the Horses into violating Steel Viper territory. They don't know the ground and if we can confuse the situation then we might turn this into a three way confrontation."

She expanded the display to cover all of the Clan home worlds and then nodded. With the Hells Horses making this much progress it was only a matter of time before other Clans decided there was an opportunity. The only chance without the forces that were now unavailable was to muddle the situation.

"Galaxy Commander Eleanor Djerassi is on the line," one of her aides reported.

Cyrilla nodded. Any other Clan would have been harder to make contact with like this but Clan Goliath Scorpion had held themselves to be indebted to Nicholas Kerensky and to his chosen Clan ever since the original campaigns to liberate the Pentagon worlds.

She crossed to the necessary console and took over the seat. "Thank you for speaking to me on short notice, Galaxy Commander Djerassi. There is an opportunity for your Clan if you are interested. I could offer it to other Clans, but as our stalwart allies it would be only right to give you the first refusal."

"You have my attention, Galaxy Commander Ward." Eleanor Djerassi was a generation Cyrilla's junior, and since the Goliath Scorpions could field only three frontline galaxies, each led by a Khan or the Loremaster, she was primarily a garrison commander and would have few opportunities for personal glory unless someone attacked the Scorpions for their scant resources.

Cyrilla's guess was that with the two Goliath Scorpion Khans in the Inner Sphere, Djerassi would jump at the chance to bring those units notionally under her control even for just a limited operation. After all, victory could make her a contender to rise to the Khanship.

"I have a military operation underway which could require additional forces beyond those immediately available in the Pentagon worlds," she explained. "I would be interested in contracting four Clusters of Clan Goliath Scorpion to fight alongside our units on Eden."

"Respectfully, Galaxy Commander, I do not see how this would be an opportunity for my Clan."

Cyrilla grinned. "In addition to the opportunity for your warriors to win glory, Eleanor Djerassi, should we be victorious over Clan Hells Horses, we would divide any gains to our territory on Eden with you proportionately to the forces involved." Then she closed the trap. "Of course, as your forces will be assuming risks on our Clan's behalf, should our forces suffer a defeat we will share with you a similar proportion of our holdings on Dagda."

Djerassi's eyes widened. "A considerable offer. I gather that forces have already been bid on Eden however, so this would seem to be an unusual tactic."

"We are engaged in a succession of Trials rather than one overall Trial," replied Cyrilla. "As such it is entirely reasonable for new forces to become available for bidding."

"A valid point." The other Galaxy Commander checked something off-screen. "I can dispatch three Clusters within twenty-four hours and a fourth within seventy-two hours. However, by the time they reach the jump points…"

"As it happens we have several jumpships scheduled to depart from an in-system jump point for Dagda in the next six hours. I will arrange to cancel their intended cargos and they can deliver your dropships deep inside the Eden system. By the time your fourth Cluster is en route, our warriors will be striking together at the Hells Horses."

"Bargained well and done." The Goliath Scorpion bowed her head. "I look forward to displaying the skills of my Clan alongside the heirs of Kerensky."

"It is our glory to fight alongside the students of Moreau," replied Cyrilla respectfully.

Once the connection was broken she returned to the main floor. "We will have three additional Clusters arriving by 22 July and a fourth by 27 July. Plan on how to employ them to slow the Horses until we've evacuated our personnel and the critical tooling from the Wolf Armorworks and the W-5 facility. Prioritise the first if necessary – the aerospace losses in the Inner Sphere have been steep so the Jaghatai production lines are probably more important to the Clan than the BattleMech assembly tooling."

"You do not expect that the addition of these Clusters will turn the tide?"

Cyrilla shook her head. "The Goliath Scorpions train excellent warriors and in a straightforward duel they perform well. But they are too resource-poor to equip garrison units like those Djerassi can send with modern BattleMechs, much less with OmniMechs. Also, they are inexperienced in large scale operations. Against the Hells Horses' Beta and Epsilon Galaxies, they can only buy us time… but time is what we need and if they do that then they will have more than earned half of our Dagda holdings."

"Respectfully, Galaxy Commander, I would not wish to be the one to explain that to Khan Ulric – or to Khan Dinour."

"Our Khans understand the priorities we are working under." Cyrilla scanned the displays of the rest of the Clan's holdings. "Besides, if the Goliath Scorpions are bloodied fighting on Eden they may be more willing to help us if someone makes a move for the enclaves on Roche and Dagda."

"We are beginning to run out of enclaves to defend."

Cyrilla looked over at the source of the complaint. "To an extent. By the end of the month, barring any further attacks, we will have enclaves on six worlds – five if the Hells Horses make a push for the enclave on Hoard but that is of minimal value in any case. But bring up a display of our invasion corridor in the Inner Sphere."

The projector buzzed and then the Clan Home worlds were replaced by a broad sector of space, stretching from what had once been bandit kingdoms in the Periphery almost half the way to Terra.

"Sixty-eight worlds and we are contesting four more as we speak. The domain of Clan Wolf now encompasses more worlds than the entire Kerensky Cluster and our new capital on Rasalhague has a population of almost five billion – more than all the enclaves of all the Home Clans combined. That is the future of our Clan – taking those people under our protection and winning them to our banner. For two hundred years we have been a powerful fish in a very shallow pond. But now we are in the deep ocean and we must grow to be worthy of it."

There was a muffled "Seyla," from the warriors in the room.

"Now, we have some convoys to reroute so let us be about it."

.o0o.

 **Dove Costoso, Alyina**

 **Jade Falcon Occupation Zone**

 **3 August 3051**

Although it was no longer a staging area for Clan Nova Cat, there remained significant activity on Alyina as troops and supplies moved through it to support the renewed advance of the Jade Falcons.

The ilKhan had called a council of the available Khans when he arrived as part of a general inspection tour, visiting all of the invading Clans. Given military necessity and the dispersal of Khans from the home Clans, only a few Clans were represented in person and Showers had declined requests to attend via HPG. The warriors were sitting on couches (that most found far too soft and yielding) laid out in a loose circle with the ilKhan sat behind a heavy desk rather than on a throne.

"I am beginning to lose patience with ComStar," Leo Showers rumbled. "They claim that they have cut our occupied worlds off from the rest of the Inner Sphere, but who else can be spreading this bandit Kurita's bragging all across our worlds?"

"No one of consequence takes it seriously," pointed out Charles Dinour, the sole representative of Clan Wolf at the gathering. "All our warriors know that your visits to the other invading Clans were agreed well before Theodore Kurita raided Pesht."

"That does not change my point. ComStar are spreading sedition among the civilian population – clearly we have extended them far too much trust."

"Equally, they have proven useful as an interface on many worlds. It would hardly seem in their overall interests to take such action. Perhaps we are dealing with a disaffected minority amongst their number. They do recruit from all across the Inner Sphere, after all."

The ilKhan shook off Elias Crichell's moderation. "Whether their leaders are complicit or not, they cannot be trusted. Khan Osis is in agreement with me and has ordered all HPGs in his corridor taken under the direct control of his Clan. Khan Sennet has also informed me that she will be expelling ComStar from all worlds taken by Clan Diamond Shark."

"I suspect that has more to do with their wish to institute their ChatterWeb here in the Inner Sphere than any distrust of ComStar," observed Natalie Breen. "Still, as useful as they are in handling the lower castes I have never allowed their ComGuards to remain on worlds we have taken. They flee us now, showing their cowardice."

How much impact removing the ComGuards from only eight worlds would impact on ComStar was a topic that none of the other Khans chose to explore. The Steel Vipers had become increasingly testy as it became apparent they were unable to make the sweeping advances that the other Clans had managed earlier in the invasion.

"You Wolves are ComStar's greatest advocates in this Council. What do you say, Dinour?" asked Chistu.

"We have several thousand HPG-trained technicians on their way from the Home Worlds," he replied candidly. "Once they have arrived I expect that our relationship with ComStar's leaders will change rapidly."

"A startling change of position?"

"I find Anastasius Focht quite admirable in his way, and ComStar's personnel are very useful. The more I learn of their leadership on Terra, however, the more I feel that they have fallen away from the principles of the Star League. Since the goal of our invasion is Terra, we have never intended to leave the mother world in their hands so…"

"Sound arguments." Crichell spread his hands. "I will discuss the matter with my Clan Council. Removing the ComGuards from our worlds will ensure we can take control of the rest of their organisation with ease once more of our people have arrived."

"I believe we have a general consensus. I will discuss this with the Nova Cat Khans when I visit their Occupation Zone." Showers leant back in his chair. "The Ghost Bears remain somewhat dependent upon ComStar as an intermediary so I suppose they will also wish to take their time, as usual."

"Another matter for concern is the spreading conflict in the Home Worlds." Perigard Zalman shifted in his seat, trying to find a way to sit firmly. The cushions made it difficult for him. "Clan Hells Horses have been hammering at our sources of supplies."

"And ours as well – right as we have pulled forces out of the Home Worlds to bolster the invasion." Elias Crichell folded his arms somewhat petulantly. "I would have expected Malavai Fletcher to lead his Clan against old enemies like the Ghost Bears."

"Perhaps he is grateful for the Ghost Bears giving him this opportunity."

"Your Wolves have taken the brunt of this, Dinour – and they have failed to withstand the Hells Horses anywhere in the Home Worlds, leaving them free to strike at us."

"I do not recall ever pledging to be your shield, Zalman." Dinour leant forwards. "Like yourselves, we have cut our home enclave garrisons to support this invasion – an invasion we voted against, I remind you. With so many of the major Clans sending their best forces away is it any surprise that the balance of power has been disrupted? I was astonished something like this did not follow from the Hellion's temper tantrum."

"I understand your concerns." Leo Showers planted his hands on the desk. "Your Clans are not the only ones under attack. Clan Coyote have seized a Clan Smoke Jaguar enclave on Tranquil, for example. However, since the Grand Council voted to permit the other Clans to carry out Trials of Possession, we have limited options. I can hardly censure them for doing something the Grand Council approved in advance."

"But the loss of supplies will severely hamper our operations," protested Natalie Breen. "That makes this an operational concern."

"The only way to stop the attacks would have been to convincingly repel the initial attempts." Chistu looked at Dinour a little smugly. "Alas, with Clan Wolf so evidently… not weak, but perhaps distracted, the other Clans now believe that we Invaders can no longer defend our home enclaves."

Dinour met the Jade Falcon's glare derisively. "Judging by how rapidly your enclave on Glory fell, it is a belief that may be well founded."

"Enough. We are here to address these concerns, not to bicker amongst ourselves." Showers worked his jaw. "Khan Breen's point may allow us some remedy. The invasion itself is sanctioned by the Grand Council so supplying it could in theory be considered an obligation upon all of the Clans."

"I'm not sure I see where you're going with this."

"As the ilKhan I will demand that all Clans contribute one-tenth of their munitions production in the Home Worlds to a central stockpile for me to allocate towards whichever parts of the invasion require additional supplies. By levying all the Clans for this there can be no argument of favourtism and it will address some of the supply issues. It will also reduce the supplies available to Clans such as the Hells Horses and the Coyotes for further operations."

"It's likely to be challenged in the Grand Council," warned Dinour. "Still… all the Invading Clans will approve. The Blood Spirits and Star Adders may be swayed by appealing to the unity of the Clans. We Wolves have some influence over the Goliath Scorpions and the Ghost Bears will be strongly in favour which could sway the Snow Ravens. That should yield a majority of the Council."

Crichell nodded. "It will help. And with the precedent in place, it may be possible to extend this to other areas – armour production, for example."

"One step at a time, Khan Crichell." Leo Showers smiled darkly. "One step at a time."

.o0o.

 **Leitnerton, Coventry**

 **Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **9 August 3051**

The arrival on Coventry reminded Kai of the parade thrown when his survivors from Maxie's Planet arrived on Baker 3.

Marshal Mark Kostic, commander of the Coventry Operations Area, attended in person along with his staff. More importantly to Kai, so did the Jewell family, Dave evidently still getting used to his prosthetic leg.

"Thank you for seeing that he was sent back to me," Kathy said and kissed Kai on the cheek – something that got wolf-whistles from some of the other disembarking troops.

"Believe me, after months of his so-called humour, I was glad to send him."

"Oh I know what you mean."

"Hey, standing right here," Dave protested with a laugh. "Who's that walking off in a snit?"

Kai looked around. "I'm not sure who you mean."

"Dark hair, about half as cute as Kathy, looks like she bit into an apple and found half a worm…"

That cut it down a bit. "Doctor Lear, perhaps? You might have run into her when you were in the field hospital."

"Doesn't ring a bell, but I was sedated for a lot of that."

"Are you still up for command training?"

Kathy beamed. "He is, but not until he finishes his rehab. Another three months, almost."

"Unless the needs of the service get in the way, Kathy. There is a war on after all."

"You've more than done your part, Dave."

Sensing an obvious landmine, Kai and Dave exchanged glances. "Uh, so did you hear about Marshal Necker?"

"What, no?"

"The poor ba-uh-blighter broke his back in a car smash. Marshal Kostic's been covering for the PDZ as well as the OA, but the talk is that Al Kimmel will be completing his Steiner's Cross."

From the rank of Leutenant-General upwards, rank insignia were made up of several diamond-shaped pins which gradually formed what was called the 'Steiner Cross'. The fourth pin, completing the cross, was conferred on promotion to Marshal. "He's a good commander, he deserves a promotion but I'm not sure he needs another big job like that."

"There's a lot of that going around. Do you have any idea what's going to happen to the Guards?"

"Hopefully time to rebuild. General Kimmel was talking about organising into three combat commands, one for each of the original RCTs, but I don't think we could form even two commands at full strength right now."

"Three? Oh yes, you've got the Tenth Donegal in the ranks now, don't you?"

Kai nodded. "The lines were pretty blurred with the Capellan regiments and the Gray Death Legion by the end, although they're not with us now."

"Yeah, I heard something about your sister…"

"Cassandra has a company in Ishara's Grenadiers. They're on their way to Donegal or I'd introduce you."

"Oh!" Kathy gasped. "I should have said earlier. Kai, I'm sorry about your mother."

He closed his eyes at the reminder. "It's… okay, Kathy. It's not something I've been able to make time to think about much."

"Well I hope you should at least be able to attend your sister's wedding!"

"Rank hath its privileges." Kai shrugged. "But also responsibilities. As far as I know, I'll still be here on Coventry."

Dave and Kathy exchanged glances. "You look tired, LT," Dave told him. "Look, you're all going to have some leave time. Maybe you can go diving or something. You said something about doing that at NAIS."

He frowned. "Well, yeah. Hadn't thought about it, there's been so much to do."

"Well you need a rest too. Listen to your Feldwebel."

"I'll keep it mind, I promise. I've got to go…" Kai tried to put the promise out of mind as he went back to the lines of troops who were filtering through the welcoming troops towards the barracks and the formal meal. There was a lot of work to do in getting the Guards ready to fight again. Somehow it didn't quite work.

"Was that Feldwebel Dave?" asked Diana as he found the rest of the company.

"Yeah. His family evacuated to Coventry before the Falcons hit Maxie's Planet." Kai raked back his hair. Definitely time for a haircut. Hmm. Diana was probably going to be at something of a loose end on Coventry. Active military service was one thing but she'd have to get used to civilians too…

"Have you ever been diving, Diana?"

.o0o.

 **Reyhavik, Rasalhague**

 **Wolf Occupation Zone**

 **14 August 3052**

Nikolai Djerassi didn't wear the finery of a Khan as he entered the repurposed Riksdag building. On formal occasions he could represent his Clan's strength and power as well as any, despite the knowledge it would be hard to justify treating the Goliath Scorpions as even a second-tier Clan. On other occasions he preferred plain dress and as he was ushered into Ulric's office he wore a simple grey jumpsuit with no rank insignia.

His first words indicated that plain-speaking was another preference of his: "My Clan has lost most of a Galaxy for the sake of yours, Khan Ulric. Do not expect me to offer you more. Our debt to you has limits."

"It does." Ulric rose and bowed. "Your warriors fought well. They were outmatched in equipment and numbers, but never in skill or valour. I did not bring you here to make demands, only to make an offer from one Khan to another."

"That is an attitude the Wolves have rarely shown towards the Scorpion."

"Aye. We took your Elemental suits and made them a weapon honoured by all of the Clans. We took from you Vlad Dinour, and made of his bloodline a Khan." The Wolf Khan shrugged. "Tell me that your Clan could have done as well with them."

"Perhaps not. But for all the respect we have shown you and your predecessors, having one of our Galaxies used as a sacrifice has roused anger among my people."

"It was a desperate situation and our commander in the Home Worlds is aged and perhaps out of touch with certain realities." Hopefully none of House Ward would hear of those words until Ulric was safely dead. "But she is of my Clan and I speak for her and all those who fought alongside Eleanor Djerassi on Eden when I say that it we who owe your Clan a debt."

"Cyrilla Ward's word alone is binding on us and since four Clusters of Goliath Scorpions fought with four Clusters of Wolves against the Hells Horses, half of our enclaves on Dagda are now the property of Clan Goliath Scorpion."

"Which is no more than the original promise she made. Is that all you invited me here for?"

"No." Ulric rose and walked to the discreetly armoured window. "I think you realise how our paths are diverging. This invasion has divided the Clans even more deeply than the Warden-Crusader split. Those of us who have come to the Inner Sphere cannot return. But we do not have the capacity to remove millions of our civilian castes to the Inner Sphere."

"I doubt I'm the only one who sees that you are abandoning your enclaves deliberately, not as a matter of weakness."

"While we did not orchestrate the Hells Horses invasion, at least we can be reasonably sure our former clansmen will not be abused under their rule. There are other Clans who we have less faith in. And since before long there could be very few ties left between our Clans, I would end our debts to each other in an honourable fashion."

Djerassi eyed him. "You consider our long surkai complete, quiaff?"

"Aff. In token of this, I propose to ransom to Clan Goliath Scorpion all of our remaining enclaves on Dagda and also the Roche enclaves. While they have no military production of note, that will make them less desirable targets in the current wave of Trials sweeping the Home Worlds and hopefully give you breathing space to integrate the population into your Clan. You'll be increasing your population by fifteen percent and these are wealthy, largely self-sufficient enclaves. Build wisely from that and your Clan may be able to address its historical difficulties."

"Delicately put. And just defending those enclaves will strain our depleted forces for some time to come – a strategy to deter me from allowing our Seekers to bring substantial forces into the Inner Sphere?"

"If your Seekers come in peace, simply seeking the lore of the past, then we will welcome them. It may not be our way, but it is an honourable path. If they come to take, by Trial… well we shall offer them a different welcome." Ulric steepled his fingers. "Your Clan, your decision, Khan Djerassi. If it helps, the changes to our shipping mean that we will not be able to evacuate as much equipment as I had hoped. The Brian Caches on Dagda will accommodate what we cannot take with us. Not the newest and best, I admit, but functional and sufficient in quantity to go some way towards replacing the equipment lost on Eden."

The other Khan nodded. "Beware of Wolves bearing gifts. Where is the sting in this? I am a Scorpion, it is my nature to recognise when such a thing is being hidden."

Ulric scratched at his bearded chin. "It may be wise, Nikolai to ensure that your Clan has a Khan – or both Khans - in the Home Worlds. Indeed I would recommend this to many of the Khans who have accompanied us to the Inner Sphere. It seems to me that when the schism breaks out between the Invading Clans and the Home Clans, that the leaders of each faction would be wise to be with the heart of their Clan."

That brought Djerassi's eyebrows up. "You do not think it will go that far, quineg?"

"Aff. It will."

"Our people have little tolerance for those who break the unity."

The Wolf Khan shrugged. "I did not choose this invasion, Nikolai. I fought against it, as well you know. But once it was begun it could not be undone and the consequences are inevitable."

"Who else knows this?"

"That is a very good question. If any of them do, then they are keeping it well hidden."

"Have you considered that it might be your Wolves against all the other Clans? Again?"

"They will find us better prepared then." Ulric smiled slightly. "If so, then from one Khan to another, I advise you to do the smart thing."

"Let someone else go first?" Djerassi, for the first time, smiled. "We are a small and poor Clan. Surely we could not possibly bid successfully for such a role."

.o0o.

 **Old Connaught, Arc-Royal**

 **Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **9 September 3051**

Natasha Kerensky entered the command centre with Phelan at her side, electrifying the room as ever. Only the towering shape of Morgan Kell didn't seem moved by her presence. "Good of you to join us, General Kerensky."

"It's always a pleasure, Morgan." She walked over to look at the strategic display. It was relatively low-tech – a simple map of Arc Royal's three continents spread across the main briefing table with flags indicating the defenders and sightings of the Nova Cats. Thus far all of the latter were on Gutheim, the principal continent.

"Looks as if Colonel Dripe isn't under any immediate threat," she noted. Dripe's command, the First Capellan Dragoons were stationed on the other inhabited continent, Gerechtland.

Morgan nodded. "If that remains the case then we can move them across to strike at the rear of the Nova Cat positions."

"It's a possibility." Natasha lifted a flag and then put it down in the same location. "179th Striker Cluster – we're dealing with Beta Galaxy then."

"That Cluster is the one we've seen the most of. We think they're acting as a recon screen for the rest of the galaxy."

"Yes, they aren't going to be like the Falcons you fought on Dell. The Nova Cats respect tradition but they aren't half as hidebound – it's why they don't get along with the Smoke Jaguars, they don't substitute ferocity for thought."

"A thinking foe is a dangerous foe," Morgan quoted.

"Precisely. My guess is that they're holding the other two Clusters back to utilise once they find specific targets."

"At this rate they're getting close to New Hanover. The MechWorks there are critical to our logistics – if we hold onto them we can probably put our damaged 'Mechs back in service just as fast as the Nova Cats can, even without this omnitechnology."

"Are you planning to give them the initiative?"

Morgan shook his head. "You're the senior officer…"

"This is your home world, Morgan, and you control the largest troop contingent. I'll tell you if I think you're making a mistake but this is your show."

"Your courtesy is appreciated. In that case, we'll move up and block them from New Hanover. The Kell Hounds will take the direct route; that should let us put five battalions between the Cats and their target. Not enough to stop a full Galaxy, but from what you're saying, the Strikers won't try to take us alone."

"No, they might try to outflank you but they'll want the heavier 'Mechs' support rather than try to bull through your positions."

"Once we have their attention…" Morgan traced another road. "Move the Dragoons down here and take their flank. You only have eight companies, but if you can throw up an effective screen of your own then maybe we can convince them that three full regiments of Dragoons are about to roll them up – unless you think they'll go right for your throat."

"Probably not. It's not personal for the Nova Cats, and they know they have lots of fighting ahead of them. They won't want to get clawed up by any surprises and if we're on one flank, they'll have to at least consider that there could be someone on their other flank too."

"Then let's keep them cautious, at least until the Capellan Dragoons have moved across."

"They will get serious sooner or later."

Morgan nodded. "I know – but let that be on ground we choose, not them."

.o0o.

 **Beta Galaxy Headquarters, Dell**

 **Wolf Occupation Zone**

 **14 September 3051**

"We will not be launching any further strikes into the Federated Commonwealth at this time," declared Erik Kerensky.

"Sir, we have fully rebuilt our forces after the operations of the last few months. We are ready for action."

Vlad fully agreed with Star Colonel Ramon Sender's position but he kept silent. After failing to capture the Black Widow on Skokie, he wasn't the Galaxy Commander's favourite officer.

Kerensky shook his head. "Unfortunately our supply stockpiles are insufficient for another major offensive, at least until the next convoy of jumpships arrives from the Home Worlds. Alpha Galaxy and Delta Galaxy are maintaining a threatening posture further coreward and our role is to present a similar presence near Tamar, along with Gamma. For now, Epsilon Galaxy will be receiving what reserve of supplies are available."

"Why does a garrison galaxy need priority over frontline formations?" demanded Darren Fetladral.

"Has one of the home Clans made a move?" asked Vlad thoughtfully.

"That is correct." The Galaxy Commander put his hands behind his back. "Khan Cassius N'Buta has delivered a batchall – an entire Galaxy of Clan Star Adder has arrived and he is delegating their command to Khan Paik so she can strike at worlds along the coreward edge of our Occupation Zone. Thus far they have designated The Rock and Placida as targets so Khan Ulric has had to shift Epsilon Galaxy to contest their advance."

"Stravag! Those snakes have no business involving themselves in the invasion. They barely even participated in the bidding."

"Blame the Ghost Bears if you wish to. It was their poor bargaining that opened the gates to this. The Watch report that contingents from Clan Burrock and Clan Fire Mandrill are also on their way to the Inner Sphere. It isn't clear where they'll want to bite us, but we have a war on two fronts to fight now."

"Three fronts."

Kerensky scowled but yielded Vlad's point. "Yes, the Hells Horses have swept up several of our enclaves in the Home Worlds. Fortunately additional garrison forces are on their way but until our existing holdings are secured, Ulric is unwilling to expend more of our strength against the Federated Commonwealth."

"We've only just caught up with the Ghost Bears!" protested Fetladral. "Are we to let them spring ahead again?"

"Our touman has caught up with the Ghost Bears and we can do so again. With the supplies and reinforcements on the way our position will be far superior while they are struggling to keep their existing invasion force up to strength. Besides, it would not surprise me if the Mandrills or the Burrocks were chasing their tails. We are not the only Clan with thinly guarded worlds at the trailing edge of our occupation zone."

Turning back to the holo-display, Kerensky brought up a new map, one that haloed several worlds in red. "In the meantime, we can use our time productively. Ridderkerk, Basiliano, Hohenems and Feltre are all infested with a multi-world insurgency group who call themselves Ragnarok. While the majority of our Clusters are on the border, I intend to detach trinary strength detachments to support our garrisons and root out these bandits."

He held up his hand. "I know it is tempting to suggest brute force solutions but for once I am in agreement with the Khan. We must be precise and punish only the actual insurgents. Where possible, demonstrate publically that they are more of a threat to the other lower castes than to us, and that we are merely defending the spheroids from their renegade kin. I am sure you can all think of… discriminating officers suitable for these commands."

Ranna, thought Vlad.

"That will leave us understrength if the FedCom decide to launch a counter attack," pointed out Sender. "After all, they actually repelled the Jade Falcons from this world."

"That speaks more of the Falcon's weakness than of their strength. We will also be integrating replacement personnel while we have the opportunity."

"I thought you said that replacement warriors were in short supply until the next convoy from the Home Worlds, quiaff?"

"Aff." Kerensky drew back his lips in what might charitably be called a smile. "We do have quite a number of bondsmen from our invasion, however, and almost a hundred of them have been accepted into the Clan as abtakha. Most are joining garrison units, however a handful have qualified for frontline service."

"Most of them have been among the Clans for less than a year!"

"We have welcomed abtakha into our ranks after less time," Kerensky instructed Fetladral firmly. "Yes, those were warriors from other Clans, but…"

"How can they know of our ways after so little time?"

"It will be your job – and those of your subordinates – to instruct them in our ways, Star Colonel. And keep your attitude under control. I do not expect you to cosset these new Wolves, but nor are they to be ostracised or victimised. These warriors are the fruits of our crusade, as much as the worlds themselves are."

"Seyla."

Darren Fetladral bowed his head. "My words were impudent, Galaxy Commander. I offer surkai."

"I accept your contrition, Star Colonel. As penance, I deny you the right to bid yourself as part of your Cluster when we next enter battle. You may watch your warriors – including these Rasalhague-born warriors - and judge their performance without the distraction of seeing combat in person."

.o0o.

 **The Triad, Tharkad**

 **Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **28 October 3051**

"You could have stayed on St Ives, you know." Melissa saw new lines on Justin Allard's face. "No one would begrudge you time with your family."

He shook his head. "Quintus is with his grandparents and I'd be a political liability with Kuan-Yin. Not to mention that Victor keeps looking at me as if he expects me to turn up outside his room with a shotgun."

The Archon stifled a giggle. "He does, does he?"

"I tried to put him at ease," the spymaster said innocently. "Went down to the palace firing range with him so we could keep our small arms qualifications current. He knows that Hanse and I usually do that together every few months."

"I'm sure none of your laser shots strayed down to the lower edge of the torso, did they?"

"I have no idea what you mean, Melissa." Then he shook his head. "Kuan-Yin's always been the more emotionally together of my children. Coming here at least meant I could detour to Donegal and meet Cassandra."

"If you want, we can probably get you to Coventry briefly too. Shipping's less regular than usual but it isn't all that far."

"I might take you up on that in the New Year. Right now I'm picking up some of the new information on the Clans."

Melissa nodded. "Alex has been keeping Hanse and I largely up to date, but what do you make of their slower pace of operations over the last few months?"

"To begin with, the Jade Falcons seem to have been hurt much more severely than we realised in taking out the Gamma Line worlds. They're effectively down to three active Galaxies and seem to only have the supplies for serious operations with one of them. If they run into heavy opposition – hitting Summit, for example - then they could find themselves taking unsupportable casualties."

"Clan Wolf, on the other hand, is being very cautious but their situation is much stronger than it appears. All four of their frontline galaxies are effectively battle-ready and there are strong indications that they're hiding much of their supplies from the other Clans. They could be pushing us a lot harder than they are."

"It's been almost three months since they did more than launch raids – and Lothan was a fairly easy target for them to take, since the DCMS pulled the garrison there offworld to throw them against the Ghost Bears," Melissa agreed. "So why aren't they racing towards Terra? Or at least trying to take Tamar?"

"We've had some unconfirmed reports that the Wolves are under extreme pressure on their home worlds. We don't have any direct sources there – it's a work in progress as you might imagine – but putting that together with their pulling Epsilon Galaxy back and I think they're facing attacks from the other Clans."

Justin pulled out some files to illustrate his point. "Epsilon are technically a garrison force but in practise, the Wolf Khans have used them as frontline forces during the invasion. Sending them back to the Periphery makes no sense unless they're expecting attacks there and since we're not active in the area, that really only leaves the other Clans."

Melissa nodded. "So how helpful could their infighting be? I'd expect that their ilKhan would want to squelch it if he could."

"That rather assumes that he isn't involved in it. From the historical records we were able to reconstruct on the Clan's history, we know a fair bit about the six previous ilKhans and they all seem to have been relatively blatant in favouring their own Clan over the others. It's not the only factor, but the strength of Clan Wolf relative to the other Clans may well be partly due to the fact that three of the ilKhans were Wolves."

"Or it could be the reverse – that strength leading to them being able to secure the office."

"True. However, the point is that just becoming ilKhan doesn't change the fact that Leo Showers is a Smoke Jaguar and will favour them when he can. He doesn't just want the invasion to succeed, he wants his Clan to emerge as the paramount Clan. The word 'ilClan' has been bandied around and we don't know exactly what it would involve but it's tied to which Clan reaches Terra."

"I would have thought, looking at the star charts, that Clan Ghost Bear would be his primary concern then."

"I think they are. Reports from the Draconis Combine suggest that the Jaguars have recovered – to an extent – from their losses and that their campaigning is going to pick up with a goal of reaching Dieron District before the Bears do. On a narrower front, with their flank covered by the Diamond Sharks, they might even succeed."

"I'd hoped that Luthien would slow them down more," Melissa sighed. "It's hard to think sympathetically of the DCMS but the reports of the battle suggest it was apocalyptic."

"I suspect a lot of Jaguar garrisons are going to be made up of salvaged DCMS machines for the foreseeable future, but without the advanced technology and the fortifications we've put in place I'm honestly impressed that Takashi Kurita hurt them as badly as he did." Justin's eyes were shadowed. "The interior of Benjamin District is fairly lightly protected even now – the Smoke Jaguars will cut through them like a knife through butter unless something is done to stop them."

"And from there the Terran March will be threatened."

"That seems to be the ilKhan's game plan. So far Hanse has managed to keep enough jumpships out of James Sandoval's hands to prevent him from rushing to meet them. I've got people working on keeping tags on the Duke's orders but that pot is likely to boil over before long."

"Of the other Clans, we've managed to defang the Steel Vipers for him and the Nova Cats are going in completely the wrong direction – not that it helps us. The Jade Falcons have recovered to a degree but they still have a long way to go to catch up. The Diamond Sharks I'm not sure about but the Wolves may be deliberately hiding some of their own strength in order to look like less of a rival to the Smoke Jaguars."

"But presumably they have their own ambitions. They wouldn't have cut their way through the Free Rasalhague Republic simply on impulse and until the end of the summer they were keeping pace with the other Clans. By now they could be on the edge of the Isle of Skye."

Justin nodded. "The Wolves are also the Clan who've brought the largest numbers of their civilian castes with them, and our reports suggest that they're actively reaching out with their propaganda to the population of the worlds they've taken. Compared to the Smoke Jaguar and Jade Falcon OZ's which are largely a thin layer of garrisons backed by administrators borrowed from ComStar. Well, there are exceptions, but…"

"The other Clans came here to invade, not to conquer." Melissa's blue eyes narrowed. "The Wolves are looking ahead and taking a page from how we integrated the Tikonov and Sarna worlds into the Federated Commonwealth – bring in your own people but also co-opt the local population. What if they aren't trying to reach Terra at all – what if what they want is to build a stable empire for their Clan inside the Inner Sphere?"

She brought up a map of the Inner Sphere as it had appeared before the arrival of the Clans and then overlaid the current situation. "They already control virtually the entire FRR as well as several worlds that the Republic was desperate to control – the Radstadt salient and the Altenmarkt pocket, for example."

Justin nodded in understanding. "And let's not forget that they have Haakon Magnusson in custody. If they bring him into play as a figurehead then the 'government-in-exile' is going to have a lot less influence on those worlds."

"At this stage we have no realistic plans to expel Clan Wolf from the Inner Sphere," Melissa noted. "There are proposals for attacks on the Steel Vipers, the Nova Cats and even the Jade Falcons but when it comes to the Wolves… we might be dealing with them for a very long time to come."


	12. Book 3, Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

 **CNCS True Vision, Krievci System**

 **Nova Cat Occupation Zone**

 **13 November 3051**

Leo Showers found dealing with Clan Nova Cat a trial. As a result he endeavoured to make himself just as much of a trial to them.

"Your goal was to be Tharkad," he observed to Biccon Winters. "Yet you seem to be more intent on this Coventry."

"We will go to Tharkad when the time is right," the Oathmaster replied calmly. "There are certain pre-conditions which we consider necessary before we reach the Lyran capital."

"What pre-conditions?"

She turned to him and frowned. "That question is one that can be answered on several levels, ilKhan. Which would you prefer?"

More mysteries. "Let's start with military logic. You have tied up a Galaxy fighting on Arc-Royal – exactly the sort of meat-grinder that has cost three Clans severely so far. And when you bypass that world, directly on the path to Tharkad and Donegal you suddenly decide to launch a major offensive two jumps away from any of your prior conquests."

"That is correct." Winters folded her hands behind her back. "However, Coventry has always been one of our goals – one of three corners of the geographical heartlands of the District of Donegal and thus of the Lyran Commonwealth. Our information suggests that Coventry Metal Works – a profoundly important BattleMech factory even before the Star League – has been upgraded to manufacture components and BattleMechs fully the equal of our own. Securing those factories will substantially ease our logistics."

"Then why not make straight for it, why run yourself into the defences at Arc-Royal?"

"In part to lay the groundwork for moving on Tharkad, Gibbs and Donegal."

"In part?"

Winters smiled thinly. "Politically, ilKhan, it also establishes a boundary on the ambitions of Clan Jade Falcon. By demonstrating that the AFFC has a credible defensive line near their own recent conquests we ensure that they do not infringe on the worlds that we intend to claim."

"So long as you aren't actively blocking them from advancing on Terra that is not my concern."

"It may have been unnecessary in light of Clan Burrock's depredations of their coreward occupation zone. That, however, was not something we could be sure of."

The ilKhan snorted. "Your 'visions' did not display that?"

"We did not know when or precisely where Clan Burrock would attack the Jade Falcons."

No comment either way on whether or not the visions suggested that an attack would take place. How convenient for the Nova Cats. "So what do your visions show you, Oathmaster?"

"I did not think you placed any credence in our beliefs, ilKhan."

"As Khan of Clan Smoke Jaguar they were not my concern. As ilKhan, I must take a broader view," he answered glibly.

"Well said." Winters considered for a moment before explaining: "Our visions indicate that our presence on Tharkad will lead directly to Clan Nova Cat reaching Terra. However, they also indicate that before we reach Tharkad a legend must die. In addition to seeking the entirely valid benefits of striking at Coventry we are looking for this legend. And then we will kill them."

"So… some of your attacks are calculated to draw out some infamous Inner Sphere leader?"

"To a degree. We do not launch attacks solely for this purpose, but on Arc-Royal we are specifically targeting a certain Morgan Kell. He is considered all but invincible in single combat and has close personal ties to Melissa Steiner-Davion. His death would have considerable impact upon Lyran morale. There also seemed to be the possibility of encountering the Black Widow."

"Natasha Kerensky is on Arc-Royal!?"

"Neg. Or at least, not so far as we can confirm. Elements of the Wolf Dragoons are present, however Morgan Kell has been confirmed as the commander of all forces, whereas Kerensky would outrank him if she was present. Certainly if we do encounter her, she would be ideal."

"I see. And Coventry?"

"A lower priority target in that sense, although according to ComStar a certain ristar MechWarrior who has bested both Clan Jade Falcon and Clan Steel Viper is among the defenders. As this Duke Liao is also a significant member of the Capellan nobility, his death would certainly be a distraction."

Showers frowned. "I do not recall that name."

"You may recall that shortly prior to the loss of the CSJS Iowa to the Draconis Combine, an AFFC warrior managed to secure a Jade Falcon dropship and thus escape their clutches?"

"Ah. Yes, I recall the incident."

"His unit was somewhat of a hindrance to the Jade Falcons on Baker 3 and then to the Steel Vipers on Sudeten. Calling him a legend might stretch the point, however…"

"Worth killing though."

"We do rather intend that no AFFC warriors manage to escape from Coventry to fight us again on other worlds."

"I commend that view." Showers eyed Winters for a moment and then nodded. "I will join your forces on Coventry."

"You will?"

"It is my prerogative as ilKhan to do so – or would you obstruct me?"

Winters shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "As you say, the ilKhan is free to fight where he pleases. Your decision is merely unexpected so we will need to make some minor alterations to our transport arrangements. I will advise the Khans that you will be… what is the Smoke Jaguar term? Blooding your claws?"

"My claws have been bloodied more than once, Nova Cat. Perhaps a demonstration of how easily these spheroids are swept aside will rouse more spirit in the Clans fighting against the Federated Commonwealth."

.o0o.

 **Milnerton County, Coventry**

 **Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **17 December 3051**

Kai scrambled up Legendkiller's side, bracing himself on the armoured flank of the heavy 'Mech as he ascended the cable ladder. Once he reached the shoulder he thumbed the controls to retract it and opened the hatch into the cockpit. As he turned he saw Diana climbing into her own 'Mech – a salvaged Archer after her Hatchetman had been battered beyond salvageable condition on Sudeten.

The sight of the young MechWarrior's backside, covered only in thin MechWarrior shorts, brought Kai up short for a moment before he shook his head. Going on leave with her had been a mistake – or at least what had happened had been. He was an officer, part of her chain of command, and while it didn't seem to matter much to her, Diana deserved better of him as a commander.

He wished he could confide in 'Doc, but Colonel Trevana had enough on his plate reactivating the Eleventh Lyran Guards as it was. He didn't need to deal with his 'Mech commander making a damn fool of himself.

Ducking into his cockpit, Kai strapped himself in and applied the medical sensors by rote before donning the neurohelmet. As he activated the power systems, the 'Mech's security systems issued their challenge.

"Remember what we have taught you, son," his father's recorded voice instructed. "And remember that no matter what happens, your mother and I are proud of you."

Kai froze for a moment. If only they knew. "Killing a man is never easy," he repeated the words his father had taught him many years ago. "And it never should be."

"Legendkiller welcomes you, Kai Allard-Liao."

Despite everything, the sound of Justin Allard's voice was still comforting. Kai checked his surroundings. Diana's Archer was evidently powering up, from the blossoming infra-red signature. On the other side of the hanger, Helen was powering up a Black Python that had been pieced back together from the remains of two such 'Mechs brought down in the fighting around Olivetti. The irrepressible MechWarrior had been provisionally elevated to Feldwebel and somehow not done anything during the last few weeks to have the rank taken away from her. Until another officer was found, she was in charge of a lance.

The other twelve 'Mechs in Kai's company were also powering up. For a wonder, between battlefield salvage and new 'Mechs from Coventry Metal Works, they were almost at full strength.

"I understand Able Company is short a 'Mech?"

Kai's head jerked around and he saw a Phoenix Hawk standing outside the hanger doors. The voice was more recognisable than the medium 'Mech though. "Dave? What are you doing here?"

"Now there's a warm welcome, LT. Sorry, I should say Kommandant now, shouldn't I?"

"It's not that you're not welcome, but shouldn't you be with the March Militia?"

"I'm attached to them on paper but I've not formally been assigned a place in their ranks. I don't think they'll miss me."

Helen chuckled. "Same old Dave."

"Okay, truth is, I heard that Double-O had made Feldwebel and figured clearly the whole unit had gone to the dogs in my absence."

"Well you're a little late but I think we can find room for you." The arms of a Rifleman weren't really made for pointing – if nothing else, casually pointing the muzzles of its weapons at a friendly 'Mech was discouraged. "Leutenant Hasham, wave your hand so Feldwebel Jewell knows who our new recon lance leader is."

A Phoenix Hawk obediently raised its hand. Less than a year out of Buena Academy, the Leutnenant seemed painfully young to Kai – it was hard to recognise that they were only two years apart in age. Adding Dave to the recon lance wouldn't just bring them up to four 'Mechs, it would also add some useful experience to the force.

"Recon, take the lead," Kai ordered. "We've got a report of Nova Cat activity near Milnerton Bridge and command want us to reinforce the pickets. Battle, you're next -" That was Helen's lance with her Black Python and the three OmniMechs now in the company. "- followed by command and Strike lance taking up the rear-guard position."

The company formed a rough line as they advanced with Kai keeping as much attention on the 'Mechs behind his lance. Strike Lance only had one combat veteran among their number and Mackensen had to keep an eye on the three novices as well as get used to his new 'Mech. The Vulcan had been upgraded to fill its traditional anti-infantry role against Clan Elementals but it was only half the size of the Stabsfeldwebel's old Zeus (another casualty of the fighting on Sudeten) and the adjustment curve wasn't proving easy for him.

They were more than two-thirds of the way to the bridge when the command channel lit up. "Able One, this is Herdmaster." Caradoc Trevana's voice was uncharacteristically sombre. "The bridge has fallen – the Nova Cats have deployed a new assault element, we're not sure what unit they're from. I've got our armoured battalions moving to support you, but it's going to take time for the heavy tanks and the artillery to catch up so it's going to be up to you and the hover tanks to slow them down. Can you do it?"

Kai spread out a mental map. Milnerton was only a small village around the bridge, a hub for local farmers and little more. The only barrier between the Clans and the monorail that allowed the defenders to move their forces back and forth to contest the river were rolling, tree-covered hills.

"Have the hover tanks circle around and try to interdict the bridge," he decided. "They won't be much use in the hills but if we can keep them from throwing too many reinforcements across the bridge we might be able to tie them up in the woods."

"Understood. We'll be with you as soon as we can."

Kai closed the channel and switched to the company push. "All Able elements, change of game-plan. The Clans have crossed the river and have assault weight elements in the lead. Reinforcements are on the way but we need to slow the Clans down until they can get here."

"That's going to be a little bit challenging, sir," admitted Leutenant Hasham.

Unfortunately he had a point – the heaviest 'Mech they had was Helen's Black Python at seventy-five tons and while tonnage wasn't necessarily a direct correlation to fighting power, it had its merit. Also there was the morale issue to deal with.

"We're not trying to take them out, just buy time for the heavy tanks and our other 'Mechs to catch up, Leutenant. That means hit and run tactics. Get behind them if you can, or go for the legs. Pick off Elementals if we get the chance but the main thing is to keep them from reaching the monorail."

"That goes for Strike lance as well as Recon – when we reach the treeline I want both of you out in front to find the enemy and then work their flanks. Command and Battle lances will occupy their front."

The kilometres between Able Company and the woods shrank away but between them and the trees, Clan OmniMechs were visible, taking up positions on the hills facing Kai's approach.

The two Commandos and two Phoenix Hawks of the Recon lance made a dash into weapons range but darted back out again at their top speed of over one hundred kph as long range fire lashed at them.

"I'm seeing ten heavies," reported Hasham briskly. "Mostly the new Ebon Jaguar 'Mechs – markings are mottled grey. Mostly ballistic and missile payloads – they aren't configured for extended combat."

"Mottled grey, and as far as I know that design's only been seen in the Combine... what are Smoke Jaguars doing over here?" asked Dave.

"Maybe they got lost."

"I don't think even the Clans are that dumb, Double-O."

Kai looked at the line. Hasham's report seemed accurate to him. "Good work, Leutenant. Take the left flank, Strike lance on the right."

"They're not moving up, are you sure they want to fight?"

"I'm fairly sure they are not here for the coffee."

Diana sounded distracted. "Did anyone see any golden daggerstars painted on the 'Mechs?"

"I don't recall any, but I wasn't really looking. What are you thinking, Diana?"

"It is possible that this is a keshik."

"A command unit?"

"Yes. I am unsure why a Smoke Jaguar keshik would be present among the Nova Cats but it seems more likely than a regular Cluster of the Smoke Jaguar touman being assigned to the wrong invasion corridor."

"Sir!" Helen's 'Mech raised one hand and indicated the woods. "There are more 'Mechs in the woods. I think the heavies were waiting for them to catch up."

"Which probably makes them the assault unit – and could mean there are more 'Mechs behind them." Kai grimaced. "Okay, engage at long range. Don't get within five hundred metres if you can avoid it – most of us have the speed to keep them from closing in. Staying outside of their close range weapons helps us much more than holding ours back hurts us."

"Half my lance doesn't have anything with more than four hundred and fifty metres range at best," warned Mackensen.

"Have them see if they can start any fires." The woods had a reasonably defined edge as far as those tall enough to hide a 'Mech went but younger trees and bushes were available. "They might call themselves Smoke Jaguars but I don't recall them having any special skills when it comes to fighting in a smokescreen."

The four lances moved forwards and opened up with lasers and LRMs. The Smoke Jaguars returned fire and added light autocannon and gauss rifles to the mix. The Clan 'Mechs surged forwards trying to close the range and the Guards dodged and gave ground, pulling the heavies forward and away from the woods and the assault 'Mechs still tramping their way out.

Kai dropped his crosshairs over one of the Ebon Jaguars at a range of six hundred metres and speared it with both large lasers before adding fire from his autocannon. The heavy 'Mech wasn't going to fall so easily but the rest of his lance took his targeting of the 'Mech as a hint and Diana's Archer and both Dervishes combined their fire upon the 'Mech.

Between them the three 'Mechs could fire more than a hundred artemis-guided LRMs from their Ausf S missile launchers and more than half of them smashed into the toad-like 'Mech and obliterated the SRM launcher in the Ebon Jaguar's right shoulder.

Granted, since it was a short-range missile launcher, that didn't directly impact on the 'Mech's long range firepower but the MechWarrior also ceased to fire the gauss rifle in the Ebon Jaguar's right arm, suggesting some vital linkage had been disabled.

Kai ignored the spray of LRMs and cluster shells fired at him by the aggrieved Smoke Jaguar and switched his fire to the Hellbringer next to it. Unlike most of the Smoke Jaguar 'Mechs this had an energy armament – PPCs in each arm as well as a variety of short-range weapons in the chest. "Diana, the Hellbringer is mine."

"This one mounts ECM and an anti-missile system – a bad target for us," she explained to the two Dervish pilots. The Archer backed up two paces as the Smoke Jaguars continued to approach then triggered another volley of sixty LRMs from its internal launchers. The smaller Dervishes could only bring half the firepower to bear but once again they combined their fire with Diana's, blanketing another Ebon Jaguar with their missiles

Kai's target waded through his fire with apparent impunity but even with his sensors attenuated by the impressive jamming pod carried by the Hellbringer in this configuration, he knew that its thin armour would not be equal to an extended battle. It also couldn't maintain continuous fire from both PPCs without overheating.

That problem was solved for the Smoke Jaguar when Kai managed to score a second laser hit on the right arm of the Hellbringer and the arm – already damaged – was severed above the elbow.

Heat was rising in Kai's own cockpit and his third salvo only scored with the autocannon as the targeting computer glitched. Unfortunately the heat was necessary since he was going to need the myomers of his 'Mech to be at maximum efficiency to stay ahead of the faster Clan 'Mechs.

"Kevin!" called out Dave in dismay.

Kai glanced to the right and then left to Mackensen's position. He was in time to see the Stabsfeldwebel's Vulcan fall, the cockpit punctured by what was probably a Gauss rifle slug. "Keep it together, Dave," he ordered. "Jackson, check on Mackensen's 'Mech and get him out if he's alive."

One of the Firestarters darted forwards and dropped to one knee by the fallen 'Mech. "Not a chance, sir." He reported.

"Then set him on fire, MechWarrior."

"Here come the assaults." Helen's voice was steady. "Four Dire Wolves and a Warhawk."

Kai refrained from an open curse. Dire Wolf assault OmniMechs had enormous weapon payloads and that almost invariably included excellent long range firepower. Among the trees that might not matter so much but out here in the open...

"Fall back, try and pull the heavies forwards so we can engage them first," he ordered, backpedalling. The right torso of the Hellbringer blew apart under his fire but despite the 'Mech's reputation for fragility, it kept coming and it had scored two hits on him, stripping away much of the protection on his right flank and right arm.

Helen came to the rescue with the large pulse lasers of her Black Python, carving the chest open. A moment later the Mad Dog next to her fired the large lasers in one arm into the centre chest and added a single deliberate shot from the gauss rifle in its other arm. The slug exited the Hellbringer's back and the sixty-five ton 'Mech fell like a puppet with its strings cut.

Then the Warhawk loped forwards and each arm mounted a large pulse laser. Two stuttering streams of laser fire connected the assault 'Mech to the Mad Dog's left chest and penetrated. Leaking coolant, the captured 'Mech staggered under the impact but remained standing.

Leaving the Dire Wolves behind, the 'Mech continued its advance, firing again on the Mad Dog.

This time the shots ripped through the right arm and tore the barrel off the gauss rifle there.

"I'm down to my lasers!" called the 'MechWarrior in alarm, returning fire. In contrast to his earlier cool accuracy, only one shot hit and his infrared signature skyrocketed, signalling that his engine shielding had been hit.

"Why is it always Warhawks?" Kai muttered, remembering the one on Sudeten that had almost breached the defences around Olivetti until his sister's arrival. He dropped his crosshairs over the irregular star marking on the chest of the Warhawk and fired a moment after the 'Mech fired a third time into the Mad Dog.

The captured 'Mech exploded under the reactor damage while Kai's own shot slashed away the eight-pointed star – once the symbol of the Star League and still a common feature in Clan iconography.

"Deal with the heavies," he ordered as the Warhawk shifted its aim towards him. The Dire Wolves were getting left behind as his company – now short one of the Dervishes and a Commando as well as Mackensen and the Mad Dog – retreated.

"LT, that's suicide!"

Kai fired with one arm and then the other, keeping his crosshairs as close to the centre of the other 'Mech's mass as he could. It meant shooting at the thickest armour on the Warhawk but it was that thick because the most vital systems were behind it. Concentrate enough fire...

The Warhawk fired, searing away what was left of the protection over the right side of Legendkiller's chest and digging deeply into the left side of his chest.

Kai backed up again, twisting the torso to the right. Better to lose more armour on the left than have the entire right-hand side of his 'Mech destroyed. Right now he had a very slim advantage in firepower. Losing half his long range weapons...

More fire and there were glowing rents in the Warhawk's armour, but the -

\- Kai shook his head and realised he'd been stunned for an instant. The cockpit canopy was gone and he could feel blood running down his arms.

Legendkiller was on the ground and the Warhawk was closer – much too close. Under four hundred metres.

All that stood between the two 'Mechs was Diana's Archer, both arms spread wide.

"Diana," he mumbled.

"Kai! You need to stand up."

He checked his monitors. All four limbs still in the process. "Yeah, working on it." Planting one arm as a brace he rolled his 'Mech upright. "I'm not finished with this sonofabitch, so get out of the way."

Diana backed up obediently and Kai's eyes widened as he saw the Archer's front had been blasted almost beyond recognition by dozens of laser strikes.

The Warhawk stopped, just over three hundred metres from them. "Spheroid, why did you not fire on me?" an amused voice roared from the external speakers.

"That would breach zellbrigen," Diana replied seriously. "You are my commander's to kill."

The MechWarrior laughed, long and cold. "I saw you share kills with him earlier, you are dezgra."

"They were trash, but you are his chosen target."

"Then I will do you the small favour, MechWarrior, of killing him before I kill you."

Kai raised his guns and centred all of them on the Warhawk. His 'Mech had cooled but that meant his targeting was now optimal and at this range the torso lasers would reach. "That..." He paused and spat the blood in his mouth against the inside of his neurohelmet. "That assumes that you survive."

"You impu - !"

The other MechWarrior's response was cut short as Kai fired everything he had. Lasers slammed deep into the rents in the assault 'Mech's chest and instants later, cluster rounds exploded inside the armoured shell of the Warhawk.

The other MechWarrior rocketed up and into the air as his 'Mech was consumed in a reactor detonation. For a moment it appeared that he would escape but the chute on his ejection seat billowed irregularly and then gravity took full effect and as Kai watched, the man hit the ground. Hard.

Looking around Kai saw a line of Nova Cat and Smoke Jaguar 'Mechs, including the four Dire Wolves, watching him. None had weapons targeted on him and although he slowly swivelled Legendkiller's arms to bear, nor did they seem inclined to fire.

Just as he was about to fire, a Huntsman medium OmniMech stepped forwards and inclined its upper torso in a crude bow. "Warrior, we salute your skill," a precise female voice dictated from the cockpit. "In honour of your triumph we offer a truce that both sides may gather our wounded and our dead."

Behind him, Kai saw the remains of his company forming their own line on Diana's position. Helen's 'Mech wasn't among them, he saw it behind them and the stocky figure of Double-O clambering out of the cockpit. It took him a moment to realise that the only Phoenix Hawk in the line was Leutenant Hasham's and not Dave's.

"Well bargained," he managed and lowered Legendkiller's weapons.

"One question, quiaff?"

"What?"

"The significance of the markings on your 'Mech's chest?"

"I'm sure one of the worlds you've attacked has a database on Solaris VII. Run a search under Legendkiller."

The Huntsman froze and then bowed again. Much deeper, almost to the point that Kai thought it might fall over. "Then I salute you, Legendkiller."

Kai walked his 'Mech over to Diana's. "Two questions – where is Dave and why are they acting so damned strange?"

"Feldwebel Dave ejected," she reported.

"And the other question?"

"I believe you have defeated ilKhan Leo Showers."

Kai blinked. "What?"

"I can think of no other reason a Smoke Jaguar would be allowed to lead a Nova Cat attack."

"Shouldn't they be, I don't know, killingly mad at me? I mean, he was their leader?"

Diana hesitated. "I am unsure. Nova Cats are... very strange."

.o0o.

 **ComStar Compound, Katmandu**

 **Asia, Terra**

 **18 December 3051**

It was rare for the Primus to leave the Hilton Head complex, but for once she had crossed Terra and stood within a military command centre dug deep into the Himalaya Mountains.

"You've been very mysterious about what business brings us here." Sharilar Mori shivered at the cold air. Even inside the fortress, the winter air seemed to follow the two women.

"The time for secrets is over," Waterly assured her. "Precentor Koivu, please bring up a sphere-wide display so that I can enlighten my old friend."

If the commander of Terra's defences took any offense at being instructed like a menial she showed no sign of it. The Inner Sphere, a rough circle of worlds centred on Terra, sprang up in holographic detail with each world highlighted in the colour of the controlling power.

Mori stepped closer and saw that the worlds nearest her were fully mapped globes, not even a centimetre across. Additional codes marked the military units of the Successor States, the Clans and even of the ComGuards.

"We call this Operation Revelation. Show us Phase One, Precentor."

Koivu nodded subserviently and indicated a world alternately flashing green and gold. "We have narrowed our target list to Graceland, in the Tamar March. Clan Steel Viper have finally moved past the AFFC's defensive line and landed troops there. A special detachment of the ComGuards, perfectly matching the colours, current organisation and equipment of the Second New Avalon Institute of Science Cadet Cadre is already on the surface."

"The real NAIS cadre recently pulled off Blair Atholl due to combat losses. Their transports will be engaged by the frigate Hollings York, eliminating them from consideration."

"And on Graceland?" asked Mori faintly.

"Our own Cadre will seize the HPG station and make off with several of the most critical sections of the systems, along with several dozen adepts who have been pre-warned not to flee or suicide. Fortunately, the defenders will hold out long enough for a message of this covert AFFC attack to be relayed to neighbouring worlds. This completes Phase One."

"A combination of the techniques used on Sarna and on New Avalon in 3029." Mori nodded. "It should be effective, although naturally the House Lords will be suspicious."

"The House Lords will either have no reason to protest or will swiftly become irrelevant," the Primus declared. "Phase Two is a general interdict of the Federated Commonwealth in the face of this blatant attack upon our Order."

Somewhat dramatically, in Mori's opinion, obscuring fogs spread out from Terra to engulf the golden worlds of the Federated Commonwealth. "And Phase Three?" she asked.

"Military intervention," replied Koivu. She gestured and glowing white lines spread from dozens of worlds, converging on the critical political and industrial worlds of the Federated Commonwealth. "The ComGuards seize control of key worlds. Collateral damage will unfortunately include regiments that misguidedly defend their tyrannical leaders."

Waterly nodded in approval. "New Avalon, Tharkad, Hesperus II, Sian, Tikonov… oh and we will not forget the Wolf Dragoon's den on Outreach. Of course, we are entirely apolitical and have no ambition to rule over these worlds ourselves. No, we shall merely remove the regime that has so viciously attacked us and support the transition to more reasonable leaders."

"Anastasius Focht?"

"If he returns in time. If not, his nephew Ryan is more than sufficiently ambitious to accept a throne on Tharkad. Morgan Hasek-Davion is unfortunately far too loyal to Hanse, but a suitable regency council can be arranged for his son on New Avalon – and since House Hasek will no longer rule the Capellan March it can be carved up as incentives for Sun-Tzu Liao - a suitable ruler of the Confedertion once we rescue him from the control of his cousins. Tikonov will once again become a free republic and under our guidance the first step to a restored Terran Hegemony."

Mori nodded slowly. "Ambitious, but no less would suffice against the might of the Federated Commonwealth. This does, however, leave the Clans. Is there a Phase Four?"

"Indeed. A Grand Alliance with Thomas Marik's completely intact armed forces joining with our ComGuards to liberate the lost worlds. Which Clans will first face this invincible army will depend on whether House Kurita or the newly restored House Steiner is most pliable to our influence."

"The will of Blake be done."

Waterly smiled warmly. "Of course." She nodded to Koivu. "I thought you would be impressed Mori."

The Precentor opened her mouth to add assurance of this, only to cry out in pain and surprise as two ComGuards seized her and forced her to her knees. "Wh-what is the meaning of this? Primus, what -?"

"No one was more surprised than I to find that under both Seneca and before that under the general administration of Focht, evidence of a Draconis Combine agent on the First Circuit had been discovered. Nothing conclusive, of course, and with the Federated Commonwealth their first priority the investigation has been very slow. Not to mention, of course, that if any hint of this reached the First Circuit there would have been an uproar."

The Primus pursed her lips. "Of course, they were also centring their research on the ISF, thinking that this was another brilliant masterstroke by Subhash Indrahar. In fact, Focht at one point thought that I might be the source myself, which… well, I was at one point considered for employment by the ISF in my youth, did I ever tell you that? With my own authorities invoked and knowing of course that I was not an ISF mole, the other explanation presented itself: that Constance Kurita's Order of the Five Pillars prepared you as an agent and presented your services to her favourite cousin, Theodore."

"I suppose it was the data I provided him on Smoke Jaguar troop movements that betrayed me," Mori admitted wearily.

"Always so sharp, Mori. I liked that about you. I liked you a great deal, in fact. To be honest," Waterly smiled like a shark, "I'm taking this very personally."

"So why tell me about this plan? Why not simply have me shot?"

"Well, I simply couldn't resist sharing one more moment with you, Sharilar. Precentor Koivu."

"Your Excellency?"

"What is the status of Phase One?"

Koivu studied the displays and then nodded. "All elements complete, our faux-Cadre is withdrawing from Graceland."

"Thank you Precentor. And now, if you wouldn't mind." Waterly pointed at Mori. "I know it's a little early, Sharilar, but merry Christmas. Here's your gift."

Sharilar Mori closed her eyes as the Precentor drew her sidearm. She never heard the sound of the gunshot that chased the heavy slug Koivu fired into her right temple.

.o0o.

 **Port St William, Coventry**

 **Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **23 December 3051**

"Is your friend alright?" asked Kimmel as Kai joined the cluster of AFFC officers.

It had taken the Kommandant some time to find a dress uniform that fit him and it still felt a little tight around the shoulders. "Feldwebel Jewell will be fine, sir. He lost the leg once already so he's getting used to it. His wife, on the other hand…"

Kimmel nodded and then looked up as the beat of a helicopter rotor could be heard. "Looks like you're just in time."

"I wouldn't have minded being late, sir."

"Even if your presence makes all the difference?"

Kai had no answer for that and after a moment Kimmel shook his head. "Well, I suppose I must remember you're very young for your rank. There's unfortunately nothing at all unusual about matters that have been fought over bloodily being sorted out over a conference table – even if most of those who saw the battlefield would have been perfectly happy to go to the conference table as a first resort."

The helicopter – a Ferret scout VTOL with a Nova Cat banner painted over what had clearly been AFFC markings until recently – crossed the treeline and settled on the clearly marked landing pad, as close as it could be to the field HQ tent that had been set up for the occasion without sending the shelter flying.

Three trim figures exited and only a moment later they entered the tent.

Kai blinked in surprise at the age of the Nova Cat warriors. He had heard that the Clans favoured youth, energy and supposedly superior breeding of later generations over experience but two of the three were at least of his father's generation, if not older.

Bad assumption, Kai, he heard as if from his father. The Clans are not a monolithic culture.

The man in the lead was dark-skinned with intense eyes. He stopped opposite Kimmel. "I am Lucien Carns, saKhan of the Nova Cats and commander of our forces on Coventry."

The Marshal saluted, somehow respectful without being subservient. "Alvin Kimmel. Marshal of the Coventry PDZ and field commander of our operations on Coventry."

Carns nodded. "Star Captain Kraig Leroux – aerospace commander for the 449th Assault Cluster. Biccon Winters – Oathmaster of Clan Nova Cat." Leroux was slightly built and the one younger member of the group. Winters was the only woman and if Carns' eyes were intense, Kai shuddered at the unearthliness in her eyes as she seemed to look directly through him.

"Colonel Hisa Stavros of the Tenth Lyran Guards. Kommandant Kai Allard-Liao of the Eleventh Lyran Guards is also the Duke of St Ives."

Kai followed the Marshal's example and saluted as he was named.

The three Nova Cats eyed him. "We have learned something of your background, Kai Allard-Liao," Carns observed judiciously. "Not so much of yourself."

"Do you need to know much of me?" I'm pretty much the token junior officer – I wouldn't be surprised if Leroux and I are mostly here to fetch the coffee.

The answer seemed to impress Winters. "Perhaps we know enough." Her gaze flicked to Carns who nodded.

Kimmel gestured to the table and the six chairs along its sides. "You asked for this meeting, Khan Carns. Take a seat and tell me why."

Carns pulled out the central seat and took it, the other two Nova Cats matching him. Kai felt Biccon's eyes settle on him again as Kimmel directed him to sit opposite her. "Our Clan joined the invasion based on certain information we may have misinterpreted." There was precisely no apology offered in Carns' tone. "We are reconsidering our courses of action."

"What, you thought you'd roll over us without difficulty?" asked Stavros bluntly.

"Not without difficulty." Leroux offered her a charming smile. "Your martial calibre was never in question."

"Oh that's nice. Is that what you'll tell your Smoke Jaguar friends when they ask how their ilKhan died?"

Carns' lips curled. "We will tell them he faced a warrior who surpassed him in both skill and honour."

Who do they think I am? The next coming of Morgan Kell or Yorinaga Kurita? "I'm just another MechWarrior, Khan. I'm not even the best in my family."

"I believe, based on our research, that your family is quite remarkable." Biccon Winters frowned in distaste. "Not in ways that we approve of, but the results are inarguable."

Something about that voice – Kai felt his brow furrow. Was Winters the warrior in the Huntsman who had ended the battle a few days ago? He wasn't sure what an Oathmaster was but she had managed to restrain Smoke Jaguars who had probably been about to charge him and try to take revenge for the death of their ilKhan.

"Is this relevant?" Kimmel asked gruffly.

"It is not to the point," conceded the Khan. "We are gathering our Clan Council to decide on a course of action. I have the authority to propose a period of truce. It would be wasteful to continue this Trial if the conclusion of the Council is that we should no longer pursue control of Coventry."

"And if they do want to continue?"

"Then your skills and ours will decide the matter."

"Huh." Kimmel looked at the roof of the tent for a moment. "How long a truce are you thinking of?"

"Sir, you can't be seriously considering this."

"I'm not going to decide without knowing the full situation, Stavros. Well?"

"A quorum of our Bloodnamed are within the Inner Sphere. Those not already within our Occupation Zone will have joined us by the end of the month."

"In the form of reinforcements, you mean."

"Aff, garrison elements."

Kimmel's eyes narrowed. "Now you wouldn't be buying time to bring them up and fight on more favourable terms, would you?"

Carns' own expression darkened. "We will fight on the terms we have bid. If we cannot succeed under those conditions then I will withdraw."

"A matter of honour. Alright. One more question."

"Ask it."

"You're meaning just here on Coventry – or as a Khan do you speak for all your Clan?"

"I pledge that Clan Nova Cat will seek no further worlds or even to expand our grip upon this world or on Arc-Royal, which is also still contested, until our decision is made."

"I have a question." Kai half-raised his hand as if he was back in a classroom.

Carns looked over at him.

"What alternative are you considering, as opposed to continuing the invasion?"

"Our Oathmaster," the man replied calmly, "has proposed that we should send an 'ambassador' to Tharkad."

.o0o.

 **Port Simon, Galax system**

 **Crucis March, Federated Suns**

 **25 December 3051**

Alistair Buchwald almost dropped his glass as the alert sirens blared. "What the devil?" he exclaimed, rather than the toast to the health of the First Prince and the Archon he had been about to voice to the majority of the ship's crew.

"You didn't schedule a drill for Christmas dinner, did you sir?" asked Maggie Zibler, his executive officer in an incredulous voice.

"You're bloody right I didn't." Buchwald turned towards the door. "Jimmy, hail the bridge. If someone just put their elbow on the alarm I'll keelhaul them – but since it's Christmas they can wear a space suit!"

There was a ripple of nervous laughter through the mess-hall at the weak joke.

Jim Tchaikovsky, who as the most junior officer aboard was sitting next to the door and its comm-panel, flipped the controls and made enquiries. Buchwald couldn't hear the reply but he could see the colour drain from the young Leutenant's face.

"Commodore, Planetary Defence command reports four unidentified warships at the proximity point."

This is it then. Buchwald rose to his feet. "Ladies, gentlemen and other spacers," he called, raising his glass. "The First Prince, and victory!" He drained the glass in one long gulp. "Now, to your posts. This is not a drill."

Most of the crew took the time to return the toast before they headed for the hatches out of the mess hall and the various gangways and elevators that would take them to their positions throughout the ship. In Buchwald's case that was to the upper command deck, near the nose of the Admirable, while Zibler parted ways, making the shorter journey to the Combat Information Centre, located halfway between the nose and the two massive engine blocks that propelled the cruiser.

"What's our status?" the Commodore demanded, before he reached his seat in the centre of the command deck. "I have the conn," he added automatically as Kommandant Ibrar left the chair and made her way to the fire control station.

"You have the conn," the tiny Panpourian woman confirmed. "Four warships jumped in between nine and six minutes ago – rapid transits. They aren't responding to hails. They took out the traffic control satellites but the visuals suggest an SLDF-type Aegis-class cruiser, Essex-class destroyer and Vincent-class corvette. The fourth vessel is not a known class but it's destroyer-sized."

"Time to clear the docks?"

"We'll be clear of umbilicals in three minutes, sir. Engines are in pre-heat. Six minutes for manoeuvring thrusters to bring us sufficiently clear for ignition of the main drives."

"Good." Buchwald rubbed his chin. "SLDF-models suggest these aren't the Clans – they've refitted the ships they inherited from the SLDF. And it's a pretty huge coincidence they'd arrive within days of ComStar Interdicting the realm."

"If these ships are from Terra, they must have left a long time before the Interdiction was declared." Tchaikovsky, at the navigation console, would know – although the chances of needing to make a jump right now were thin so his console was currently taking a secondary feed from the Planetary Defence Centre and providing strategic information.

"So either someone's lucky or this was planned to arrive right after the Interdict. Either way, if they're ignoring hails, they're not friends of the Federated Commonwealth. How are the rest of the squadron?"

"Excellent is vectoring to join us, sir. Lyran and Victorious will undock within moments of us. The Liberty is going to need a tug to get clear – problems with manoeuvring thrusters – but Captain Burns assures me that his ship is ready to fight."

"Good. We only have a slim advantage in numbers so I want to engage them with our full force, not in dribs and drabs."

A thin edge in numbers – a cruiser and corvette each, three destroyers to the enemy pair, but the unknown design was a worry. Not to mention experience – the Lyran was just coming out of a full refit while the Liberty and the Victorious were newly completed and in the case of the former that was stretching the point. At least the Victorious had completed a shakedown cruise.

I wish I could call in the ships at New Avalon – but the chances are they're needed there. We're too close in hulls – hell, we're almost mirroring each other.

Admirable was one of the three Alexander Davion-class cruisers in the Federated Commonwealth Navy, all refits of aged Aegis-class cruisers like the one now inbound. In the case of the Admirable, she was with her third navy – Buchwald had been cleared for the history of the covert salvage operation that recovered the wreck of the FWLS Olympic from an orbit over Tania Borealis in the Free Worlds League.

The invaders had an Essex-class light destroyer, the same class that had provided the hulls for the three Excellent-class destroyers of the FCN, and a Vincent – from which came the Vincent Davion-class corvettes although unlike some of her sister-ships, the Victorious had been built here at Galax from the keel up, only so many salvageable hulls being available.

Well, I might not know what their second destroyer's characteristics are like but if they think they're dealing with stock Aegis, Lola, Essex and Vincent-class ships then they're in for a big surprise.

"They're heading for the Port Simon complex, sir," warned Tchaikovsky as the Lyran and Victorious formed up on Admirable's flanks. "Excellent will reach us before they're in firing range but Liberty isn't going to make it in time."

So much for the edge in numbers. "Very good, Leutenant. We will engage without waiting for Liberty. Under no circumstances can we allow damage to Port William."

He hardly needed to underscore the significance of the only warship construction yard in the Federated Commonwealth, not to mention the jumpship docks and dropship assembly facilities. The megaplex had no industrial equal in the Inner Sphere – except possibly the Boeing Interstellar megaplex at Terra, which was in ComStar's hands, wasn't it?

"Assume diamond formation and prepare to engage at an oblique angle – sixty degrees to let us bring all our broadside weapons to bear."

As promised by Tchaikovsky, Excellent slid into the formation while the incoming ships were barely over the horizon and still well outside effective weapons range.

"We'll give them one last warning. Record to transmit."

"Recording."

"This is Commodore Alistair Buchwald of the Federated Commonwealth Navy, signalling the unidentified warships. You are entering prohibited – one might say interdicted – space. Break off and depart this planetary system or we will engage with lethal force. This is your final warning."

To his surprise there was a response.

"This is Precentor Gregory Zwick of the ComGuards. You will stand down your vessels and surrender them and the Port William shipyards to our administration, until such time as responsible government of the Federated Suns has been re-established."

Buchwald raised his eyebrows. "Interesting." He thumbed his intercom. "Leutenant-Colonel Zibler, your opinion?"

"I don't take orders from Terra, sir."

"Well said."

"Any reply, commodore?"

He shook his head. "I've already given this Zwick character my final warning and he's given me his. We'll finish the conversation with our broadsides."

"Targeting priorities, sir?"

"All ships focus fire on the enemy corvette – there's a good chance we can knock it out quickly and put the numbers in our favour. Fighters, for now, are to focus on space superiority."

With the squadrons at Port William and on the surface held back for final defensive action if necessary, that left both groups of warships dependent on their on-board complements – not that it bothered Buchwald. The dropships carried by the invaders were infantry transports and hanging sensibly back out of range – good news since his own escorting assault dropships had been despatched to the frontlines months ago. There were only forty-two ComStar fighters against seventy-two in his own flight groups. If he was in the fighter wings, he'd take those odds.

"Range is down to seven hundred and fifty kilometres, sir!"

Effective firing against manoeuvring spacecraft was generally possible out to around seven hundred kilometres. "You may fire as you have targeting solutions, Kommandant."

And now comes the hard part, Buchwald thought, sitting back and feigning relaxed confidence. Letting my crew do their jobs without interfering unnecessarily.

The Admirable rocked slightly as the massive main battery opened fire. Then the ship shook again, reminding Buchwald of rain hitting a tin roof for some reason.

"Light hull damage, sir. One drop-collar out of action and the engineers do not advise attempting to jump without a survey of the damage."

"Noted, Leutenant."

"The rest of the squadron report no damage, Commodore. The ComGuard ships are focusing fire on us."

Ibrar slammed one fist on her console. "Yesssss."

"Kommandant?"

"Target is out of action, sir. Her back's broken."

"Good shooting." By God… an entire warship, admittedly a small one, ruined in less than a minute. "Next target is the unidentified destroyer."

"Understood sir." Ibrar returned to her terminal.

"They're firing!" warned Tchaikovsky.

"So are we!"

The ranges were dropping fast, both groups of warships slowing to prevent an over-shoot and the lights overhead dimmed slightly as shots crashed against the Admirable.

"Damage report!"

"Multiple penetrations of our armour belt." The rating grimaced and updated the master systems display. "Jump drive offline, grav deck penetrated, two broadside turrets gone, flight deck open to space."

"Very good. Roll ship and present our other flank." Buchwald studied the sensor display. "Hauptmann Walters, which ship is dealing out all this pounding?"

"It's the Aegis, sir. They have heavy short-range batteries of naval autocannon and we're inside their effective range now."

Maybe I should have prioritised that ship first – no, it's as slow as we are. The main risk is still one of the destroyers slipping past and engaging the docks.

"They're rolling ship – we must have hammered them!"

Buchwald blinked and then realised that Ibrar meant the target destroyer, not the Aegis. He'd hoped for another kill, but perhaps it was just Corvettes that were that fragile. I didn't want to be the first to do this, but at this rate it's a guessing game who'll have the last wreck mobile. "Prepare to load -"

"Sir, it's Liberty! She's coming in fast!"

I'd almost forgotten about her, Buchwald thought. "Belay my last order." If the Blake-Worshippers can be taken out without using nukes then it might prevent them from using them on us.

"Firing again!"

Admirable bucked violently. "Fuel hit!" screamed the rating, "Tanks sealed, engines are out – no, reheating now."

"Get a grip, Feldwebel."

"Sorry sir." The man looked abashed. "We're off course, manoeuvring is compensating. Messhall took a hit… Commodore?"

"What?"

"CIC is gone, sir."

Maggie Zibler and a dozen other officers. "Carry on."

"We got a big piece of their destroyer, sir. She's not out of action yet but she's bleeding air and burning. Recommend switching fire to the Essex and leaving her to the fighters."

"Can she still shoot?"

"Probably, sir."

Buchwald gripped the arms of his chair. "The rest of the squadron can switch targets, but you kill that ship for me, Kommandant."

"Sir, Liberty is launching escape pods… engines at full burn."

"Are they hit?"

"Not that I can see."

"Get me Burns!"

It only took a moment – and another round of damage reports – before the round face of Francine Burns was on his screen. "What's your condition, Burns?"

"Fire control boards are burned out, sir. Some builder's glitch. We're effectively unarmed."

"Then what the hell are you doing plunging into the middle of this? Break off."

Burns shook her head. "No sir. You need that cruiser gone. We can still do one thing."

"Damn you, Burns, that's a twenty-four billion kroner destroyer!"

"You want my insurance details?" she asked wryly and then shrugged. "My whole family are on Port William."

The ComGuards ships – only two of them now, the still nameless destroyer was gone - fired again but this time it wasn't the Admirable that took the hits – they could see the Liberty's vector and the Aegis-class was firing all engines to evade.

Unfortunately for them, the Liberty had twice the power-to-mass ratio and there was only a ten percent difference in tonnage. Reinforced armour plating mitigated the weapon hits and then the warships, with a combined tonnage of well over a million tons, collided with a force that would have pulverised a battleship.

Two ships, one almost seven centuries old and the second barely seven weeks from completion of construction, were reduced to a cloud of debris.

Commodore Alistair Buchwald turned his chair towards the fire control console.

"You can kill that Essex now, Kommandant," he said in a flat voice.

* * *

A/N: I hope you all had a merry Christmas and are looking forward to a happy new year.

JC: I can't seem to PM you a reply. At the moment I don't have any particular plans to expand Davion & Davion (Deceased) from a timeline but it's a possibility


	13. Book 3, Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

 **Asgard, Tharkad**

 **Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **26 December 3051**

The Packrat armoured car skidded from side to side as Justin jerked the wheel to avoid incoming fire. The missiles of the pursuing Excalibur BattleMech plastered the tarmac beside them, which left Melissa more than willing to overlook the way she'd bounced off one side of the passenger compartment as a result.

Then a gauss rifle slug flickered within centimetres of the roof.

"This is not my idea of a Christmas celebration!" the Archon shouted, picking up the reload she'd dropped when she fell. The missile slotted into place at last and she handed the loaded weapon up to her bodyguard.

"Who doesn't like Christmas fireworks?" the LIC agent asked blandly and pushed his head, shoulders and the missile launcher up out of the Packrat's upper hatch.

A short-range missile slashed back down the mountain road faster than Melissa recalled being able to fire an SRM launcher back in her own infantry training.

The first missile missed and the igniter didn't trigger the oily contents of the warhead, which spread across the icy road. That was intentional – Melissa had detached the igniter.

The Excalibur reached the patch of freezing petroleum gel and one heavy foot slipped out from under it. The ComGuards MechWarrior didn't manage to recover the seventy-ton machine and it crashed down onto the road.

That was when Curaitis fired the second missile in his launcher. This one hadn't been tampered with and it doused the upper surface of the Excalibur with fire. Enough dripped down onto the patch below that the 'Mech was quickly blazing all over.

"Agent, you are an artist," Justin called back.

Discarding the launcher, Curaitis dropped back through the hatch and pulled it short. "It won't buy us long. I didn't get the missile rack and I don't think that thing runs warm enough to be badly impaired."

"We don't need all that much longer." Melissa checked the mountain ridges. "Justin, there's a trail coming up on the right. Take it!"

Justin dragged on the wheel once more and the Packrat bounced as it crossed the verge and hit what could charitably be called a side-trail. "I thought we were heading for Asgard!"

"This is a short cut."

"Are you sure?"

"Do you have any idea how much time I spent riding and skiing in these mountains when I was a teenager? Trust me."

"Well, it's just that a lance of the Second Royal Guards should have been only two klicks from us on the main road."

"Are you willing to bet that the ComGuards didn't pick up that transmission?"

"Point."

There was a whine from above and Justin turned the Packrat into a skidding turn that took it below tree-branches only a moment before a v-formation of aerospace fighters zoomed overhead – all with white armour and showing the eight-pointed rising star of ComStar on their wings.

"Good point," Justin conceded again and put the armoured car into motion again, the wheels kicking up dirt as he pushed it as hard as he dared. "Where are we going now?"

"There's a secondary entrance in a ravine south of here. It looks bad but it should actually be wide enough for us to drive there."

She was right and the two men disembarked to cover the Archon as she activated the hidden controls that pulled a sizeable boulder out and up to reveal a hollow perhaps as wide as a small garage and leading deep into the mountain.

"Who goes there!" came a challenge.

"Archon Steiner," she responded tersely. "Today's code is Alpha-Romeo-Victor One-Seven-Nine."

"Advance and be recognised."

She obeyed and a battle-dress clad guard stepped out, an automatic shotgun in one fist and a torch in the other. He illuminated her face and then stepped back. "Sorry, your highness. Regulations…"

"They exist for a reason, Gefriter. I have two companions and a vehicle. We need to get to the command centre – the vehicle can stay."

Justin discreetly put the fingers on his artificial hand into a more conventional arrangement, safing the laser built into it.

Up two flights of stairs and through three airlock-like security doors they finally reached an underground monorail. "Just how much of the mountain is hollow?" Justin asked.

"I could ask the same of Mount Davion." Melissa took a seat in the carriage waiting for them – barely larger than a small van – and gestured for them to sit. "Back around 3037 when we were digging out a new level, we found an entire complex that someone had poured full of concrete. No one can find a shred of documentation about it but the working theory is that it was established in the early twenty-fourth century after the capital moved here from Arcturus and filled in later by Robert Steiner after he overthrew Margaret Olson."

"Secrets of the past," mused Justin.

"Burying military facilities underground goes back well before humanity left Terra."

The car slowed to a halt – it had been moving at tremendous speed for their short journey, safer than a commercial subway would have been since there wasn't going to be much, if any, other traffic to worry about – and stopped at another ante-chamber.

They only had to pass two more armed checkpoints before entering the command centre.

"Melissa!" called out Nondi in relief, striding up from the main floor and seizing her niece in a hearty embrace with no regard for decorum. "We thought – I feared the worst when the news came that the Triad had fallen."

"It couldn't have been a great deal closer," Melissa confirmed, returning the hug. "It wasn't entirely a military strike, ROM agents had infiltrated some of the outer security and it let the ComGuards get closer than they should have before the Royals were alerted."

"And how did they manage to assemble an entire Division on planet – those troops should be scattered across a dozen worlds?" asked Nondi with a suspicious look at Justin.

"There's clearly been a failure by my Ministry, I agree," he admitted. "I – or my successor, if it pleases the Archon to dismiss me – will have to answer some hard questions."

"This isn't the time. I need two briefings, Aunt Nondi. Local and the full Federated Commonwealth status. How bad is it?"

Ardan, who had been waiting quietly below, found it a suitable moment to join them. "Why don't I start with the big picture while Marshal Steiner brings herself current on the last half-hour or so? She's been wearing a hole in the carpet worrying about what condition you'd arrive in," he added with an avuncular air.

Nondi huffed and turned away to check the latest reports being displayed.

"Good news first," Ardan advised. "Our own HPG chain between here and New Avalon hasn't been cut. Skye and Tikonov were hit, but they're holding firm. The ComGuards didn't commit enough forces to take those worlds and we've sent out the word for relief forces."

"New Avalon?"

"They haven't been hit yet, but the jumpship traffic we know about suggests ComStar are assembling a large force."

"Is that the bad news?"

"No." Ardan folded his arms. "The bad news is that we haven't heard much from the rest of the Federated Commonwealth. Black box signals are getting through but it can take days for the signals to reach worlds that are part of our HPG network." He sighed. "We do knew they hit Outreach though – an entire squadron of warships and at least as many Divisions as they have here."

"They're going for the Dragoons."

He nodded. "That's going to be ugly. Epsilon Regiment are good and they have the Home Guard force but…"

"But all our warships are elsewhere, which means that even if they just blockade the planet, they have the Dragoons' dependents trapped. Natasha will hit the roof."

"Nothing from the Clan front either. I think we have to assume they'll press the advantage though."

"Myndo Waterly has a lot to answer for. And yes, easier said than done."

Nondi returned. "Are you done, Ardan?"

"Not much detail to work with. How about you?"

The Marshal grimaced. "Tharkad City is in ComGuard hands. Things are too disorganised to try to take it back at this point and the First Royal Guards severely underperformed. We're going to need to take them in hand when we get the chance. Second have more than done their share though – in addition to covering your escape, Melissa, they've repelled two attempts to take the TharHes factories."

"Mid-battle isn't the best time to review the Royals performance, but it's going on the list of things to do," the Archon agreed. "Are we still dealing with just one Division?"

"Yes, the 282nd. There are reinforcements on their way in but someone seems to have screwed up their timing and the first division of their reinforcements ran head on into FCS Enterprise." Nondi gave a cool and approving nod. "I wasn't a supporter of the warship programme, but I know when I'm wrong. That one ship tore every single transport apart before they could get close enough to drop troops, much less land them."

"No warships here?"

"Unfortunately yes. More transports, probably an additional two divisions, are at a proximity point deep in-system and they're escorted by two battlecruisers. Commodore Derwent aboard the Adventure advises that he isn't confident our two warships can successfully defeat that escort. For now I've ordered him to regroup with Enterprise and prepare to fight for the orbitals. If we back them with surface-based fighters… well, it'll be close."

Melissa nodded and looked at the main displays. "And it would take, a week at best, just to notify our other warships of the problem, much less bring them here."

"We do have a squadron of heavy assault dropships available at Donegal," Ardan advised. "I've sent them orders and we should be able to get them here."

The Archon nodded. "Good thinking. Alright. There's nothing we can do about the larger situation except trust our commanders on site. At least locally, however, we need to get the First Royal Guards back in the fight. Let's see if I can get some steel into Mellandra's spine."

"And if you can't?"

"Then I'll have Agent Curaitis put a steel blade through her spine and put one of you two in charge of the Guards. I'm fairly sure you both recall how to run an RCT and with limited communications, one of you can be spared."

.o0o.

 **Ducal Palace, St Ives**

 **St Ives Compact**

 **27 December 3051**

"If you'll excuse me for saying this, I would really prefer not to be woken in the night for more emergencies like this," Sun-Tzu requested politely.

The man across from him chuckled. "I can't blame you. What is this, three times in the last two years?"

"Ask the gods to spare you the bother then, cousin." Kuan-Yin was at least properly dressed for the occasion, wearing formal robes as she sat at the conference table. "It is not given to a Minister, Marshal or Chancellor to dictate the course of all events, no matter what we may wish for."

"Okay, we're getting a picture of the situation now." Victor stopped chuckling and resumed the more serious demeanour Sun-Tzu had seen him display regularly since his abrupt elevation from junior Leutenant to de facto Field Marshal of the Confederation. "The on-planet elements of the 104th Division seized the spaceport and enabled a landing of the rest of their Division, backed up by the Fiftieth Division. So far that's all the troops they have, whatever they might be claiming."

"You're very confident of that."

"There are only so many people you can cram into dropships and we have good people watching the spaceport. The 104th is 'Mech heavy and the Fiftieth is about fifty percent infantry so they've a decent troop balance but that's still not a huge force. We have a numerical advantage if we can concentrate our forces to deal with them."

"That will take careful diplomacy," noted Sun-Tzu.

Besides the St Ives Academy training group, the available forces were the Red Lancers, who accompanied Kuan-Yin as the provisional Chancellor/Minister, and the Davion Assault Guards who were hardly likely to let the heir to the Federated Commonwealth out of their sight a second time after the events on St Ives. Both were old and proud regiments – and the last time they had both been on St Ives at the same time, the Guards had inflicted a crushing defeat on the Lancers, forcing a humiliating treaty on the then Chancellor Dainmar Liao.

"It'll be an exercise in co-operation," admitted Victor. "Perhaps we should thank ComStar for offering themselves as a target that they can both turn their attention to."

"I hardly think that we need to go that far. Also I'd prefer not to ride in the backseat of your 'Mech, if that's alright."

"It isn't very comfortable, I agree. On the other hand, you shouldn't stay here. In their place I'd certainly consider launching a commando raid on the palace under the cover of a more conventional assault. And, no offense, Sun-Tzu, but you're likely one of their targets."

"You would consider such a thing?"

"He didn't say he would actually order such a raid, cousin." Kuan-Yin watched fondly as colour rose in Victor's face. "Merely that he would consider it as a tactical option."

"Using a large and obvious operation to mask covert action is pretty basic."

"Yes, merely uncharacteristic of you." Sun-Tzu considered. "I believe that the Davion Assault Guards have a mobile headquarters vehicle. If you don't feel I would be in the way, perhaps I could act as a liaison there between the two regiments."

"I think that would help," agreed Victor. "And we should probably place the cadets under Colonel Elias' command as well."

"May I suggest instead that you take personal charge of the Training Group," proposed Sun-Tzu. "You are in overall command, after all, so it would be best if you and Kuan-Yin weren't on the frontlines. The cadets can act as a reserve force under your direction to shore up the situation as needed. I believe it would be good for morale."

"I'm not sure how the Lancers and Guards would feel about our last line of defence being cadets."

"Then they will have something in common to complain about – and of course, they will fight doubly hard to make sure that there is no need for the cadets to be committed."

Victor and Kuan-Yin exchanged glances and then Victor nodded. "Alright, we'll do it your way." He seemed to sense Sun-Tzu's surprise at the proposal being accepted so easily. "If you're willing to place your safety in the hands of my Assault Guards, the least I can do is listen your advice about my own security."

They parted ways, infantry escorts falling in around them as Victor went to the communications centre to give the necessary orders; Kuan-Yin went to her quarters, presumably to change into something more practical to riding a BattleMech – Victor was right, she would be safer in a 'Mech where ROM agents were less likely to be able to strike directly at her; and Sun-Tzu was whisked away to the entrance where a sleek hover car and escort were already preparing to take him to the headquarters of the Davion Assault Guards.

I must be out of my mind, Sun-Tzu thought. Putting my life in the hands of the Davions… but if ComStar wins and the messages I've been receiving are from them, the best I can hope for is to be their figurehead on Sian. But inside Prince Victor's inner circle I can wield real power and influence on behalf of the Capellan people.

Assuming I survive, of course.

Swift and efficient service delivered him to the Assault Guards' positions and after obtaining confirmation from the palace, he was admitted to the little bubble of privilege around the RCT's command vehicles.

There were turned heads and even one whispered 'What is he doing here?' as he entered. Drab AFFC field uniforms abounded and his plain black suit – a style he deliberately copied from Justin Allard – stood out.

"What brings you here, your excellency?" General Stephan Cooper was tall, barrel-chested and bluntly spoken – an occidental counterpart of the more eastern values of the Confederation. Sun-Tzu thought privately that the man bore more than a minor resemblance to the St Ives-built Emperor BattleMech he drove – something about the lack of neck.

"Officially I'm here as a liaison, General. Just to deal with any little cultural issues that may cause misunderstandings between you and the other regiments on world."

"We've been dealing with St Ives units for twenty years, I think we can manage."

"I doubt it was so smooth in the beginning – and the Red Lancers aren't a St Ives unit." Sun-Tzu smiled warmly. "Unofficially, I think Prince Victor may be showing off a little. I've grown up around the best Capellan regiments. I don't think it's unlikely that he wants to wow me a little with one of the best regiments in the Federated Commonwealth." The compliment was a little blatant for his tastes, but you have to speak to the audience you have, not the one you want to have.

"Well you've come to the right place." Cooper thumped Sun-Tzu on the shoulder. "Let me show you what we're going to do."

Sun-Tzu followed him to the map table, glad he hadn't had to bring out the other argument he could have proposed: that in being here he was a hostage against any misbehaviour by the Red Lancers. That would have worked in the short term, but the long term consequences would be troublesome.

.o0o.

 **Coventry**

 **Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **28 December 3051**

The ComGuards scout force was doomed almost the moment it came into view.

The Cyrano helicopter gunships at least got shots off with their lasers before they were brought down, but to do that they came into the range of defensive fire from Kai and from Helen, who had with undisguised regret had to hand over her Black Python for major repairs and was instead piloting an Ausf R Hunchback from reserve stores, one almost identical to the 'Mech she'd been assigned when they first met on Maxie's Planet.

Cluster ammunition was deadly against helicopters and the lightly armoured gunships probably wouldn't have survived hits even from conventional autocannon. As it was, they both lost their rotors and crashed to the ground as useless wrecks.

The ComGuards operated in six-strong combined arms units so it was no surprise to find a pair of BattleMechs also in the area, backed up by a pair of Beagle hover tanks. Knowing that friendly Beagle hover tanks were in the area, Kai ordered the 'Mechs be destroyed first.

Diana spotted and engaged the Hussar in the slim interval between it entering her LRM range and the 'Mech being able to engage with its extended range laser. If a scrap of armour survived anywhere on the light 'Mech, it must have been on the back – the salvo was shatteringly effective and blew off both arms and the laser. The MechWarrior somehow kept the light 'Mech upright but he had no offensive capability left and turned away at maximum speed.

The Talon was much less fortunate – Hasham's Phoenix Hawk was fast enough to keep pace with him and compared to the Nova Cats, the ComGuard pilot might as well have been reacting in slow motion. Unlike the Hussar, the Talon had the armour to take a few hits from the Phoenix Hawk… but not from one of the artillery missiles launched from well behind Kai's position. Hasham lit the enemy 'Mech up with his TAG system and more literally with his lasers. Thirty seconds after coming into view, the Talon found an Arrow IV missile zeroing in on the already damaged right side of its chest. The warhead blew half way through the 'Mech and took the side off the fusion reactor, with predictable results.

The hover tanks, seeing the carnage, tried to make a hasty retreat but as they retreated they found themselves confronted by two more Beagles – this time with sunburst-fists on their turrets. The new arrivals were just as fast as the ComGuard units and carried extended range lasers in their turrets that let them engage with relative impunity. The result was never really in doubt.

"Are the ComGuards placing sibkids in their war machines?" asked Diana. "That was too easy."

"Not many of the ComGuards have seen action since joining. We do seem to have encountered the shallow end of their experience pool though." Kai gestured towards the next ridge. "They must be scouting for someone, I want to see who it was."

There was no one behind the ridge, but Able Company's Recon and Fire lances pressed on and as Hasham's Phoenix Hawk poked its antenna over the crest of the hill after that he froze and then backed up, waving for them to withdraw as well.

"What did you see?" Kai asked, using a tightbeam microwave transmission that should be secure.

"It's an artillery park," the Leutenant reported eagerly. "I saw three Partisans on air defence and at least a dozen Marksman self-propelled guns!"

"Did you see any security escort?" Helen had turned her Hunchback to watch their rear area, but she wasn't going to stay out of the conversation.

Hasham's voice was sheepish. "I didn't see anything but I ducked away because I didn't want to be spotted. I could have missed something."

"Understandable." Kai considered for a moment. "It's too good a target to ignore, we'll have to take the risk. With the Partisans an airstrike would be a no-go but if we take them out first, we can call in our own fighters. Where are they located?"

"On the corners – it's a roughly square encampment so there may be a fourth." Hasham used the foot of his 'Mech to scrape a rough diagram of the deployments.

"Eight 'Mechs on what looks like most of a battalion?" asked Helen dubiously.

"We're not going to try to take them all out." Kai pointed with Legendkiller's arms at the corners. "Fire lance will cross the ridge and take out the nearest Partisan, then move along their left flank to engage the next corner. Recon lance goes for the right corner and checks for another Partisan on the far side. As soon as we've taken all four out, we get out and call in air strikes. You can take shots at the artillery if you don't have any other targets but don't stop moving or they'll drop their muzzles and just flatten us with direct fire."

"And if we don't have any friendly air cover in range?"

"Then we took out their air defences and someone else can call in a strike next time they're spotted – or they'll need to divert air defence units from elsewhere. Not quite as good, but I'll take that over leaving them there and unmolested."

"Fair point." Helen fell in at the rear of the Fire Lance.

"Okay. We move on three. One, two, three."

All eight 'Mechs crested the rise and while Kai was tracking Legendkiller's guns onto the nearest Partisan, he also scanned the encampment. Sixteen Marksman self-propelled guns, parked in neat four gun batteries and each covered by a Partisan. Very symmetrical… although…

He fired, lasers raking across and through the side armour of the Partisan. Diana unleashed a single precise missile barrage that was probably overkill. The Dervish following them over-shot, missiles landing around the tank while Helen decided that overkill was better than underkill and raked what was probably a wreck with her autocannon.

…ComGuards use multiples of six for their units. Where are the other four?

Kai was answered as a low-slung, turreted vehicle moved into view from amid the nearest Marksman tanks. "Alacorn!"

The assault tank brought its turret to bear and one at a time the three gauss rifles fired. The unlucky recipient was the Dervish in Kai's lance and two shots happened to strike the 'Mech in its right leg, shattering the limb.

"I have it! Press on!" shouted Hasham and on the far side of the camp, a Phoenix Hawk soared briefly into the sky.

Then there were three sharp cracks and the 'Mech tilted forwards and nose-dived into the valley floor.

Dammit. Dammit! "Evasive manoeuvres, finish the Partisans and get out!" snapped Kai. He wasn't quite in range yet for the next Partisan, which was bringing its turret around to aim at them as well, so he twisted sideways and let the Alacorn have the full force of his weapons, driving the heat inside his cockpit well up into the amber range.

The lasers dug into the massive tank's hull but they didn't penetrate and Kai's autocannon scraped away at it without managing anything more.

Diana's LRM barrage also seemed unable to stop the tank, although it was wreathed in explosions.

"This is how it's done," Helen counselled. She ducked her Hunchback to one side and raked the side of the Alacorn with her autocannon, cluster rounds spraying across the tracks in the gap between the ground and the side-armour. "That ought to keep it from following us," she explained.

Then she kept closing in, angling to stay just ahead of the three muzzles as the turret turned to track her Hunchback. Raising one foot high, Helen managed to scramble up behind the turret, inside the arc of the gauss rifles, and then kicked hard at the side of the turret.

With an audible crunch, the turret ceased to turn.

"How do you like that?" she declared out loud.

There was a thunderous crash as an artillery shell from one of the Marksmen slammed into the rear armour of Helen's Hunchback and sent it sprawling.

"Double-O!"

"Ow. Nothing hurt but my pride and my rear armour."

Kai fired into the rear of the second Partisan. "Can you move?"

"Yeah."

"Then get out of here, we'll finish up."

Diana unleashed not just her LRMs but also both the Archer's lasers into the Partisan. Smoke began to pour from the forward deck of the tank as one of her shots found the engine.

"That's it, we're done." Kai started backing towards the nearest cover. "Recon lance, did you get the second Partisan?"

"Yes sir. The Leutenant bought it though."

"We saw. Get clear and we'll regroup." He flipped the channel. "Air support, this is Kommandant Allard. ComGuard artillery force, four batteries, located this position. We've taken out their dedicated air defence but there are four heavy tanks on site."

There was nothing but an unwelcome static.

"Dammit, someone listen." He adjusted the frequency, wondering if the hills were interfering. Sometimes a very small shift in frequency could break through. "This is Kommandant Allard requesting an airstrike."

There was another crackle and then, just as he reached the wood line and paused to give covering fire, there was a reply. "Kommandant Allard, we have an airstrike in your general vicinity. Confirm target."

"ComGuard artillery park, one point five klicks east of my location."

"Confirmed, Kommandant. Passing you to air-strike commander."

Kai frowned. That wasn't the usual procedure.

"Kommandant." A vaguely familiar voice. "We have a smoke column in sight. Is that the target area, quiaff?"

"Star-Captain Leroux?"

"Aff. The ComGuards have engaged our forces also. Is the smoke source in the target area?"

"Ah, confirmed. Artillery is immediately eastwards. Good hunting. Allard out."

As he swung north with Diana and Helen to regroup with what remained of the Recon Lance, Kai's radar detected no less than twenty Nova Cat aerospace fighters descending upon the ComGuards artillery.

.o0o.

 **Fox's Den, New Avalon**

 **Crucis March, Federated Suns**

 **4 January 3052**

"I was beginning to think that Waterly had forgotten about us," Hanse noted coolly as he watched the diagram of dropships moving in towards New Avalon.

"I suspect that they were waiting for warships to join them from Galax."

The First Prince looked over at Morgan. "And in their absence…?"

"They're coming anyway." The Marshal of the Federated Suns shrugged. "It isn't how I prefer to do business, but Waterly is used to having almost immediate access to her people wherever they are in the Inner Sphere. I doubt she encourages initiative and it doesn't seem to have occurred to her that with an interdiction in place there's no actual reason for us not to storm the HPG stations and cut off her own communications."

"It's a shame we don't have enough trained personnel to put them all back in service right away. That would be a slap in the face to her."

"Are you sure you want to slap her across the face? It's not very gentlemanly of you. After all, she did strip the ComGuard garrisons from most of our worlds, to the point that even planetary guard regiments can seize the stations."

Hanse considered that question for a minute. "Yes," he said firmly. "Given what happened on Outreach, I think it's merited."

"I can't argue with that." The Wolf Dragoons had put up a ferocious defence to buy time to evacuate the dependents of all five of their regiments, not to mention many retired veterans and sibkos created in the Clan style onto a flotilla of commandeered dropships only to see the ComGuards warships interdict almost all of them – and ComStar's militant arm were not taking prisoners.

Only three dropships managed to escape on a circuitous high-gravity course through the outer system that eventually let them reach a startled commercial jumpship whose crew were willing to risk ComStar's ire.

By that time, of course, Epsilon Regiment and the Home Guards were long dead – the survivors had thrown themselves at the four Divisions in a berserk fury when they realised what the warships were doing. Intelligence sources on Outreach were still sending reports in via Black Box and the ComGuards had lost almost all of the 111th and 386th Divisions to the Dragoons' last charge.

"We still don't know how bad the reports will be elsewhere," Morgan said steadily. "We have to assume that other worlds have fallen."

"New Avalon will not."

"No," Morgan agreed. The ComGuards invasion force was the same size as that sent to Outreach, four Division, and once again there were two regiments to receive them – but here the First Davion Guards and New Avalon March Militia were supported by warships and additional militia units were forming up to provide assistance for anything that reached the ground. "But what then? You know Terra's defences caused horrific casualties to the SLDF when they took it from Amaris. The AFFC wouldn't be prepared for that sort of operation even if we weren't fighting the Clans."

"I have an angle."

"You have… an angle?"

Hanse patted his nephew on the shoulder. "Oh yes. Trust me, Morgan. We're in touch with Tharkad now and Melissa has everything in hand there. You just concentrate on clearing the ComGuards off our worlds and I'll keep things moving on re-establishing HPG communications across the Federated Commonwealth. Terra is in hand."

"I'll take your word for that."

"So, Tikonov?"

"Yes." Morgan pulled up a map. "The Crucis Lancers took the world in 3028 and they still remember what a struggle it was. Now that the Second RCT are on the defensive side they've made use of that. Even with three Divisions on world they can hold out almost indefinitely. I've recalled Beowulf, Athena and Loyalty to regroup at Quentin where they'll be joined by the Seventh Lyran Regulars. They'll move on to Deneb Kaitos where the Fourth Deneb Light Cavalry are waiting for them."

"That's a decent army group, with the Light Cavalry fully upgraded. So a warship-escorted group of reinforcements to take care of Tikonov. How long do you expect it to take?"

"The main limitation is that even with Lithium-Fusion Batteries, the warships won't reach Quentin until next month and it'll probably take another month for the task force to reach Tikonov."

"By then I'll be able to give you a better idea of where we stand with regard to the other worlds."

Both of them instinctively listed the worlds that mattered most to them, the worlds that must have also been targeted by the ComGuards.

Robinson, capital of the Draconis March, where James Sandoval was now off the leash when it came to handling the weakened Draconis Combine.

St Ives, capital of the new Confederation March. Home to Hanse's heir and daughter-in-law.

New Syrtis, capital of the Capellan March. Home to Morgan and where his wife and younger children were defended by exactly as many regiments as New Avalon was.

Exactly as many regiments as Outreach had been.

Morgan Hasek-Davion was not a fool and he had thought himself no stranger to fear. But now he considered himself very foolish indeed. And very very frightened.

"Kym is a very capable woman," Hanse assured him. "And George is with the Forty-Second Avalon Hussars, only a few jumps away. If New Syrtis is in trouble then he'll know about it by now."

"That's part of what bothers me. If New Syrtis is in danger then George might convince General Waters to do something reckless to try to relieve them. The only warships we have in the area are the Valiant and the Vincent Davion and they're just corvettes."

Hanse leant against his desk and looked sympathetically at his nephew. "I remember worrying about another young man I was sending out on his own and hoping he wouldn't overreach himself. We've raised good sons. Now we have to stand back and trust them to handle them right."

.o0o.

 **Reyhavik, Rasalhague**

 **Wolf Occupation Zone**

 **13 January 3052**

Ulric Kerensky hadn't realised until he was reminded that it was more than forty-eight hours since he'd had the Precentor Martial detained. Then again, he had been very busy.

"You needn't concern yourself," Focht assured him, when the Khan summoned him to the command centre. "I've been catching up on my reading."

"Yes, well you may have other things to concern yourself with." Ulric folded his arms. "I have come to have considerable respect for your sagacity, Precentor Martial, so I am working on the basis that you have nothing to do with what your Primus calls 'Operation Revelation'."

"I don't believe that I'm familiar with anything going by that name," admitted Focht slowly.

"It is remarkable that she would embark on such a large scale military operation without consulting her senior military command."

The strategic display had been zoomed out to show the entire Inner Sphere and neighbouring Periphery Realms rather than just the Clan Invasion Corridors. The Khan indicated Coventry, right on the leading edge of the Nova Cat occupation zone. "Clan Nova Cat has been engaged by two divisions of the ComGuards. Khan Leroux has suggested that this may be an attempt to take advantage of the ilKhan's death."

"Two divisions isn't remotely enough to defeat the Nova Cat forces on Coventry."

Ulric nodded. "The Nova Cats do not appear to be having significant difficulty, particularly as the ComGuards are also engaging the Federated Commonwealth forces."

Focht's lips thinned. "Then those divisions will be destroyed," he said bleakly.

"Quite. Under the circumstances, those Clans who have not already expelled ComStar entirely are doing so." Ulric touched a control and the icons representing the ComStar HPG stations and their security were highlighted in red, all across the occupation zones, excepting those of the Smoke Jaguar and now Diamond Shark corridors from which they had already been expelled.

"Will you allow me to order an orderly withdrawal?"

"No." The Khan touched another control and the icons of the Wolves' frontline Clusters suddenly lunged back up their corridor. "You've trained excellent soldiers, Precentor-Martial. And since the Federated Commonwealth is under an Interdiction and quite unable to launch a counter attack, I intend to take those soldiers – and the technicians they are guarding - as our bondsmen."

"An interdiction? Why would Waterly... ah."

"Purportedly some incident on Blair Atholl. The Steel Vipers are unable to shed any light upon it, however your Primus has claimed it as justification to seize control of the Federated Commonwealth and restore what she calls 'responsible government'."

Focht gripped the rail overlooking the holo display. "She can't possibly succeed, not without months to shift forces and prepare."

"It seems unlikely." Ulric balled his fists. "That is not the immediate concern however. Removing ComStar from my Clan's worlds is."

The Precentor Martial got the message right before Ulric caught him by one shoulder and spun him around, driving his fist into him below the ribs. The older man doubled up, breath driven from his lungs, but he caught the rail behind him and jumped up, belying his age with a kick to Ulric's ribs.

Propelled by the kick, Focht crashed over the rail into the holo display and Ulric took two quick steps then hurdled the same rail to kick him with both feet.

Bright lights played over them as the holoprojectors tried to adjust their display despite the presence of two bodies in the middle of the projection.

The Khan seized hold of his opponent but released him as Focht lowered his head and butted him in the face, breaking Ulric's nose.

"Should we intervene?" asked one of the warriors at the consoles.

The Star-Captain on watch shook his head. "This is the Khan's fight. But shut down the projectors before they burn out."

The lights around the two brawling men died out as Ulric finally managed to pin the fiercely struggling Focht against the floor. In addition to the broken nose, the Khan was bleeding from an ear that the Precentor-Martial had got his teeth into. With a grunt, Ulric seized the other man's long white hair, dislodging the strap of his eye-patch and bounced his head off the ground.

It took three more impacts – and probably a concussion – before the Precentor Martial stopped fighting back.

Ulric took a deep breath and then pulled a bondcord out of his pocket, wrapping it around the other man's wrist. "Take him to the medical wing and ensure he is guarded. He may not accept his new status easily," he instructed.

The Star-Captain stepped in and hauled the old man out of the way. "I've called for a medic," she advised the Khan. "I recommend you have your own injuries tended before they become infected."

"That isn't precisely my first concern." He stepped clear and then looked back. "Bring up the display again."

The inner sphere winked back into life and Ulric shrank the view in until only Clan Wolf's domain and the worlds around it were displayed. Almost all of the worlds they had taken in the Periphery had been overrun, with two worlds still holding out near those the Star Adders and Fire Mandrills had seized and Star's End, much nearer to the former Free Rasalhague Republic, showing as strongly garrisoned.

"Overlay our troop movements."

The clusters of Alpha and Delta Galaxies moved back the occupation zone, clearing it of ComStar elements from Lothan and Ramsau to Memmingen and Radstadt. Meanwhile Beta and Gamma executed a sweeping movement up along the border with the Jade Falcons and then across the Occupation Zone to Rasalhague on the border with the Ghost Bears.

"Yes, that will do," Ulric confirmed. "Issue the orders to all Galaxy commanders. And inform Anton Fetladral that Paulus Prime and Gustrell are the only additional worlds I will accept being lost to the Adders and the Mandrills. He has worn them down to the point that if they try to reach further towards Terra I want them to be stopped dead."

"It will be done, Khan Kerensky."

Ulric accepted the offered antiseptic wipe from a medtech and wiped his ear briskly, ignoring the stinging sensation. While the tech bandaged his ear, the Khan more carefully cleaned the blood from his broken nose – it was significantly more tender.

"That will have to be set."

"Do it then."

He grimaced as the technician straightened his nose and then taped it into place. Yelling at the pain would be undignified for a Khan he thought and his lips curled at the nature of the thought. Worrying about appearances… how we have been changed by this matter.

"What is next on my schedule?" he asked.

The Star Captain checked her noteputer. "Ah… a meeting with civilian representatives from Verthandi."

Ulric took a deep breath. "Alright. Let them know I'm on my way." What impression he'd make turning up as if he'd just come out of a bar brawl he wasn't sure, but at least they could take comfort in not being faced by a Smoke Jaguar.

.o0o.

 **CSS Invisible Truth, Tharkad system**

 **Donegal March, Federated Commonwealth**

 **16 January 3052**

Alain Beresick felt a chill down his spine as he saw the tactical display.

"Sir!"

"I see them." For a moment despair dug a tremendous gulf before him. The Primus would be very displeased with what he was about to do – but if he continued to obey her orders then his only immunity from her wrath would like in the fact he was unlikely to survive. "Condition Amber. Inform damage control that they have three hours to lock down anything they can't restore function to by then. And get me Precentor Mulvenna."

The communications adept turned to his console and spoke urgently into his headset while Beresick checked the latest status reports. They weren't terrible… but they weren't good enough.

"Sir." The adept swallowed. "Precentor Mulvenna is busy. I have her aide, Precentor Repanich on the line."

The naval officer closed his eyes for a moment. Blake give me strength.

"Put her on."

The face of Gwen Repanich appeared on the main display. Her own view of Beresick should show the tactical display although not in any great detail.

"What do you want, Beresick? Precentor Mulvenna is busy running the war. Tharkad is almost in our grasp – no thanks to you."

Whether or not the 379th Division, one of the two Divisions assigned to the operation from Mulvenna's Ninth Army, would have made a difference was entirely academic: more than 80% of them hadn't even reached orbit after FCS Enterprise made a high speed run through their formation, weapons firing. The battlecruisers Invisible Truth and Blake's Strength had absolutely gutted the destroyer but even in the brief time that took, the ship's weapons had reaped a brutal harvest of dropships.

"Well you'd better let go of Tharkad in a hurry. Tell her that she has three hours – make that two hours fifty minutes - to get her troops on dropships and lifting. The AFFC's reinforcements are coming and Aleksandr Kerensky himself couldn't stop them with what we have here."

"The entire point of you being here is to deal with that. You have two warships, Beresick. The Feddies tore our dropships apart, now grow a spine and do the same to them."

"There are four inbound warships, Precentor Repanich – three cruisers and a frigate. That isn't counting the Adventure which is vectoring to join forces with them well before we can possibly intercept them. My ships are bigger but not by enough. I won't waste two of the ComGuards' largest warships in a fight they can't win so in just under four hours we're boosting for a jump point. We'll escort any dropships that can join us but if you're not there I'll leave you behind."

"You wouldn't dare. The Primus would -"

"The Primus may or may not take action against me for withdrawing. But if I stay here then the Nova Cats will certainly kill me. That simplifies my position."

"The Nova Cats?" Repanich's brows furrowed. "You said they were AFFC reinforcements."

"Actually I said they were the AFFC's reinforcements." Beresick crossed his arms. "There are three Nova Cat warships escorting dropships that match our data on their Alpha Galaxy – and eleven AFFC dropships, a mix of troop transports and their new heavy assault ships."

"But they're supposed to be shooting at each other!"

"Tell them that. Assuming, you're not in orbit by the time we leave."

"I'll wake the Precentor!"

"Do that." Beresick made a cutting gesture and the screen went dead. "Right, get me in touch with Precentor Cody on the Blake's Strength."

.o0o.

 **The Triad, Tharkad**

 **Donegal March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **21 January 3052**

The fires of war had touched the heart of the Lyran government for the first time in living memory but nonetheless the Archon greeted the formal embassy of the Nova Cats in the towering royal halls. As had been the case for so long it was more tradition than practical security the stone throne of the Archon was flanked by a pair of BattleMechs in the colours of the Royal Guards.

If Biccon Winters noted that the 'Mechs, rather than being the customary Griffins from the First Royal Guards were Vulcans from the Second Royal Guards she made no mention of it as she waited along with her aides and Caradoc Trevana – her formal escort – for Kai and his father to exchange greetings.

Kai saw new lines on Justin's face and from the expression judged that his father found him just as changed. "It's good to see you," he said quietly. "Is there any news?"

"Cassandra is fine – she'll probably be mad that you got here before she managed it."

"It was my turn to play at being a heroic rescuer."

His father cupped the back of Kai's neck for a moment and then somehow seemed to shrink in on himself. "Anyway, Kuan-Yin is fine on St Ives – we don't have many details but the ComGuards got cut apart by the Red Lancers and the Assault Guards."

"Caught in the crossfire."

"As I said, not many details. And Kestrel wasn't attacked, so Quintus is fine too."

The Grand Marshal cleared his throat. "Gentlemen, may we proceed."

Justin fixed the man – some minor Steiner cousin holding the sinecure position on little more basis than having a clear voice and being moderately presentable – with a quizzical look. "I'm sorry, were you waiting for us?"

Stung, the man turned. "Oathmaster Biccon Winters of Clan Nova Cat."

Normally there would have been a crowd of courtiers observing, as well as supporters of whomever was being presented – and a holo-camera discreetly to one side so that the moment would be immortalised for posterity. The camera had been collateral damage when the fighting entered the Triad and replacing it wasn't a priority and so this meeting, significant as it was, would not be recorded.

Melissa did not rise as the Nova Cats approached the throne, instead fixing them with an icy stare that would have surprised many Lyran and Suns citizens who knew only her warm and approachable public persona. "Oathmaster."

Winters nodded respectfully. "Archon."

"I received a summary of your proposal – and I am not unaware that your presence and reputation has been of service to me in the matter of cleansing ComStar from my home. But I would hear this in greater detail from your own lips."

"You have undoubtedly heard much from Natasha Kerensky of the Clans," Winters said, showing no sign of discomfort at being left to stand and explain in front of the Archon's throne. "While I have never met her, I imagine she described my own clan as a pack of mystics and dreamers or in some similar terms."

"Largely, yes." Melissa tapped the arm of her throne. "This seat was once occupied by an Archon who put her faith in astrologers, soothsayers and the like. She was a disaster who had to be removed by force. It does not predispose us to appreciate such matters."

"That is not an unusual view, many of the other Clans feel likewise. The Nova Cats have followed the Way of Seeing for two hundred years and we remain among the most formidable of all the Clans – we feel this is more than sufficient reason to place weight on our visions. Yet other Clans are certainly our equals in prosperity and in strength, while following quite different paths. We take this to mean that for all its merits in our own eyes, the Way of Seeing is not for everyone."

"Practical of you."

"We try. Such visions hardly guide our every waking hour," Winters pointed out. "Wit and reason are of no less use to us than they are to anyone else. Still, on important decisions we do examine dreams and visions for guidance. Operation Revival was no different."

"To summarise considerable discussion, two key visions were identified. Our Khan dreamed that while the other Clans threw themselves into the teeth of the Inner Sphere's defences, the Nova Cats would follow a different path and that this would lead us to Terra while our cousins in the other Clans howl in envy and frustration. Secondly, my own dreams showed that a legend would be slain and that the killer would lead the Clan – or perhaps I myself – to the gates of Terra, which would be marked by an icy crown."

"And this is why you drove your own invasion towards Tharkad? You believe this is the icy crown?"

"If you will excuse me for saying so, your capital has something of a reputation for cold weather. The symbolism of a crown is obvious. And naturally from a military perspective, circumventing your primary lines of defence by striking at Tharkad and then through the Isle of Skye to Terra, seemed more promising than beating our heads against the fortified worlds that have stalled Clan Steel Viper for so long."

"Vision and reason."

"Exactly." Winters smiled slightly, as if to a promising student. "Of course, visions are open to interpretation. My own vision led us to believe that one of our warriors would kill some legendary figure within the Inner Sphere and that this warrior would lead us in the conquest of Terra. The notion played to our egos, I confess. And yet when a legendary figure did fall, it was our ilKhan and the legend killer is your Kommandant Liao. I arrived in time to witness the end of their duel. You have much to be proud of in this warrior."

"I had great respect for him long before that, as did his father. I think you may safely say that the deed does nothing to tarnish his reputation."

"You are well-spoken, Archon. I had heard that you were not a warrior, but you have the look of one who has trained as a warrior."

"My husband and my sons are MechWarriors, Oathmaster. My own military training was as a jaeger – our light infantry. And I have sent men and women to die in defence of our worlds. You may consider me a warrior."

"It is more than that. You have seen battle with your own eyes."

Melissa hesitated and then nodded. "Long ago, when I was younger than Kai."

Winters eyes went distant for a moment and then she shook her head. "A dying hound and a silver eagle," she murmured to her aide. "My apologies, Archon. Those of us who cultivate visions sometimes have moments of…

intuition, shall we say?"

"We've drifted somewhat from the point of this conversation. So the death of Leo Showers caused you to re-evaluate your visions?"

"It seemed to us that we had misinterpreted my vision. And ComStar's actions gave us more concrete reasons to believe our approach had been wrong. There is a sickness on Terra, Archon. A threat to your realm and to all of the Inner Sphere. The spark that ignited our invasion was the discovery of a ComStar jumpship in Clan space. Perhaps we should have taken that as our sign: that our enemy was not the Inner Sphere, but the rulers of Terra itself."

Winters took a deep breath. "It is never easy to admit to making a mistake, Archon. We have killed no small number of your warriors and now we have concluded that we were wrong to do so. We owe you a surkairede for this – but we must also fulfil our destiny and that takes us to Terra. If we must fight our way past you, we will do this – but as my Khan's vision suggests, perhaps there is another path."

Justin cleared his throat. "Are you sure you have the capacity to take Terra? Aleksandr Kerensky needed to deploy over a hundred and fifty SLDF divisions – more than forty-five thousand BattleMechs alone – to liberate it from Amaris."

"By the standards of those battles, no, we do not. My clan have the third largest warship fleet among the Clans, twenty-two ships, and ten Galaxies of ground forces, although our invasion force includes only around half of our strength. However, there is no evidence that ComStar possess the Caspar drone warships that Amaris used to devastate the SLDF invasion flotillas and the ComGuards, even before their losses attacking your worlds, are in no sense as formidable an army as the Rim Worlds Army was."

"Of course, that doesn't consider your losses if you have to fight your way through the AFFC just to reach Terra."

"If, of course, you decline our request that will be problematic." Winters bowed slightly to Justin and turned back to the Archon. "Archon, we request safcon through the Federated Commonwealth to Terra. With the forces available, we believe we can seize Mars, Venus and other facilities in Terra's star system, establishing a foothold there which can use to constrain ComStar's operations until the remainder of our warriors can join us and we can liberate Terra from the Primus and her ilk."

Melissa lowered her head in thought. "There are conditions," she said at last. "You may consider them your surkairede if you wish."

"Firstly, you will restore the worlds you have taken from the Federated Commonwealth. I have heard no reports that you have abused our citizens as certain other Clans have, but I will not yield their freedoms to you."

"Agreed. We have no cause to retain those worlds."

"Secondly, you will restore all prisoners taken from us in your campaigns so far."

Winters nodded. "That is acceptable. To be forthright, we also have one bondsman who we won from Clan Wolf that was once of the AFFC. Your cousin Richard has insight we find interesting. While we are willing to release him to you, we would ask permission that he remain as our guest – our honoured guest – at least until we have liberated Terra."

"My cousin is a Marshal of the AFFC." Melissa softened her voice. "If he chooses, then he may remain with you as a liaison officer. But if he wishes to come home to us, you will arrange it."

"That is entirely fair, Archon. Are we agreed?"

"There is one last condition. Clan Nova Cat will sign a treaty with the Federated Commonwealth, recognising our sovereign rule over the systems around Terra and recognising your Clan's rights and responsibilities over Terra – as its rulers and also as custodians of the legacy it remains for all humankind. My ancestors allowed Jerome Blake great latitude in these matters and his successors abused that. In generations to come I do not wish my heirs to look back on me as the architect of their troubles with an over-mighty Terra."

The Oathmaster bowed deeply to the throne. "You bargain shrewdly, Archon. Very well. Draw up such a treaty and I will take it before our Clan Council. They will confirm it as our law from this day forward."

"On those terms then, the Federated Commonwealth will provide you with safe conduct and such logistical support as we can spare, in bringing your forces – all of your forces – to the Terran system."

"Bargained well and done."

Biccon Winters stepped up onto the dais and offered her hand. Melissa rose to her own feet and the two women shook hands firmly.

"Is it the beginning of the end?" asked Kai softly.

"At the very least," his father replied, "The tide has turned."


	14. Book 3, Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

 **Millargro, Trondheim**

 **Ghost Bear Occupation Zone**

 **18 February 3052**

Vlad leaned forwards. "I am Vladimir Ward, commander of the Wolf Hunters. We are here to take this world, your garrison and the supply depot here for Clan Wolf. With what will you defend them?"

The Ghost Bear didn't shrink from his words, but nor did she rise to them. "I have a full binary of BattleMechs and our infantry complement is unarmoured."

"And I have an entire Cluster at my disposal," Vlad warned. "I will take this world, Star Captain. Be aware that anything you bid, I may destroy."

"I, Dawn Mitsuhan, bid my Alpha BattleMech star in defence of Trondheim." She gestured at the plains around them. "This will be our circle of equals."

"Bargained well – and done." Clan Wolf's Watch had informed Vlad of the garrison force without any need to ask for it. The infantry were useful in enforcing the Ghost Bear's will on the civilians but would have little or no value against his Wolf Hunters. By bidding away her lighter Beta Star, the Star Captain would force Vlad to deploy a heavy force to engage her four heavy and one assault BattleMechs – besides, those were the forces readily available to her.

"Ranna," he ordered. "Your Alpha Star."

"You do not bid amongst yourselves?" exclaimed the startled Ghost Bear commander.

Vlad smirked. "I challenged for, and won, the right to assign units to targets as I see fit."

"That is not the way of the Clans."

"It is the way of the Wolf." Vlad raised one clenched fist. "If my officers dislike it, they may challenge me for my position. I suggest you get to your 'Mech, Dawn Mitsuhan."

She turned and retreated without another word. She had brought out her Star – her own Kodiak and four Grizzlys - to greet the Wolf dropships, having somewhat naively permitted them to land without explanation of their purpose here. That mistake would cost her. Despite her bloodname, Vlad did not think she would be a valuable bondsman, but the same might not be the case of her warriors and certainly not of the supply depot here.

Ranna's Star disembarked and moved to face the Bears. She was still piloting the ancient Wakazashi and it was flanked by a Supernova BattleMech, a Kingfisher OmniMech and a pair of Glass Spiders. The two Stars were of very similar total weight and largely made up of slow, durable 'Mechs with tremendous firepower – the sort of slugging match that would usually favour the Ghost Bears' doctrine over the Wolves.

Then again, Ranna was under no obligation to fight under that doctrine and she quickly took the initiative, holding her 'Mechs in a tight formation and sweeping left towards the Ghost Bear flanks.

The Ghost Bear formation was looser and Ranna signified the Grizzly at the end of their line by firing on it with Gauss Rifle, PPC and both her lasers. At long range only the PPC and one laser struck home, searing armour from the smaller 'Mech's right arm and cracking plates beneath the arm's shoulder.

The Ghost Bear returned fire effectively, pulse laser tracking across the right side of her Wakazashi's chest and its Gauss Rifle scoring on the 'Mech's left shin.

Then, in complete breach of zellbrigen, the rest of her Star unleashed their own firepower into the heavy 'Mech. Lasers and Gauss Rifles hammered into it, savaging the right side of the Grizzly.

"Dezgra," called out Star Captain Mitsuhan but her Kodiak was at the far end of the Bear's line and wasn't even in range to add its weapons to the scattered return shots from the rest of her Star.

Ignoring the protest, Ranna continued extending her line and forcing the Ghost Bears to chase her. She switched her targeting to the next Grizzly in line and both the PPC and Gauss Rifle smashed into the side of its chest, tearing through armour and into vitals behind it. Then her autocannon hammered at the breach with cluster rounds and the 'Mech was masked from sight in the fireball of a reactor breach.

Vlad's eyebrows rose sharply. "I begin to see why you like the 'Mech so much," he admitted.

The first Grizzly engaged was retreating under a constant barrage of fire from Ranna's Star that stripped away virtually all of its armour protection. Vlad mentally marked the MechWarrior as possible abtakha – someone who could keep his 'Mech up and fighting under such a barrage was promising material.

The Ghost Bear Star Captain charged into the van of her remaining Star, using the bulk of her Kodiak to mask them as they reformed. Not inclined to ignore a willing target, Ranna's Star needed no hints as to their next target and shots pulverised armour across the 'Mech, one laser blotting away the bear-like visage and almost breaching the cockpit.

With irony, a similar shot almost killed MechWarrior Suikaina, whose Supernova, already one of the slowest 'Mechs on the field, had slowed to bleed off some of the heat. Her 'Mech wasn't the only one that had slowed though and the Kodiak was in range of MechWarrior Maddox's Kingfisher. The assault 'Mech was a formidable machine and for some reason Mitsuhan made no use of her assault autocannon but a savage barrage of lasers and SRMs took the OmniMech to its knees, head reduced to molten slag and with it the Wolf MechWarrior inside.

The Kodiak fell face first into the dirt after this salvo, gutted by the Gauss Rifles and Extended Range Large Lasers favoured by Ranna's Star. Fire erupted around the wreck as the fall finally ruptured its reactor and consumed the 'Mech and the luckless Mitsuhan.

Suikaina lingered just long enough to finally finish off the Grizzly that had been engaged first and then backed up to re-join Ranna as they pulled back to open the range on the remaining two Ghost Bears. Outnumbered two to one, the Bears were stubbornly still firing into the Wolf 'Mechs – specifically into Ranna, who was taking the brunt of their attention.

After two exchanges, Ranna cut the battle short by searing the cockpit of the leftmost Grizzly with her PPC.

Alone now, the final Ghost Bear finally broke off. "Star Colonel Ward, I request hegira."

"Neg," Vlad denied. "You showed courage in battle and now good sense in recognising you cannot prevail. I will have you for our Clan. Power down your 'Mech and I pledge you will have every chance to prove yourself a worthy warrior of Clan Wolf."

"I comply." The man lowered the arms of his Grizzly. "I surrender myself to Star Captain Ranna."

Vlad grinned ferally. A cheap shot, making the point that the warrior was Ranna's bondsman, not his. Good, his spirit was unbroken. Clan Wolf could use such warriors.

.o0o.

 **Planetoid #167, Star's End**

 **Wolf Occupation Zone**

 **18 February 3052**

While Nova Cressidas was the only habitable planet in the system, no one of significance was there. Star's End was all about the habitats dug into the many asteroid belts. Realising this, Star Colonel Katya Kerensky had bid her Dorbeng Cluster to fight the Seventy-Third Adder Cluster on one of the planetoids, the environment putting the Star Adder warriors immediately off balance.

Also confusing to them was the doctrine she employed against them.

Under the weak gravity LRMs took strange trajectories and Katya bounded into what would normally be extreme range of a Nova, unleashing a salvo from her salvaged Dervish's chest-mounted launchers. More than twenty of the thirty missiles clawed away some of the OmniMech's protection and then she bounded back out of view, firing jump-jets to give her absurd agility. The rest of her deliberately under-strength Star had followed her, leaving four lightly damaged 'Mechs and one frustrated and unscathed Star Commander.

They had been doing this all day, raiding and teasing the Adders until both sides were scattered across the planetoid in small groups.

"Why do you not stand and fight!? Are you Wolves or Surats?"

Katya adjusted her own transmitter to the same frequency as the Star Adder. "We are fighting. I just shot at one of your Star."

"This is not zellbrigen!"

She considered reminding him that zellbrigen was custom but not law – and that all Clans had their own interpretations of it. But that wasn't the point she wanted to make. Her orders from Anton Fetladral were simple in theory but not easy to execute: defeat the Star Adders using AFFC equipment and doctrine… but maintaining the honour of Clan Wolf.

"At no point have I seen any of my warriors combined fire upon your target in these engagements. If you can report any incidents, I pledge on my honour as a Kerensky to investigate and punish the individual." Her orders had been very firm – if nothing else, while zellbrigen was in place the Star Adders had no incentive to concentrate their forces against isolated Stars and were willing to break off units to pursue small groups of Wolves.

"I have damage from at least three of your warriors!"

"If those were in three separate engagements then that is within the bounds of zellbrigen, quiaff? Once a warrior retreats from the battlefield, his opponent may engage and be engaged by another warrior. There is no law or custom that binds us to concede a trial when only one small part of the Circle of Equals has been fought over."

Katya's voice grew somewhat teasing. "So we are fighting you – and I believe we are winning. Your other demand, that we stand – stand still and become easy targets – is unworthy of a Clan Warrior. We do not owe it to any Clan to handicap ourselves in battle – we owe them our best efforts in opposition that the victory, if they can win it, be one worthy of report!"

"That is as it may be," a new voice declared. "However, your choice of terrain limits us both, Star Colonel Kerensky."

She recognised the voice. "Star Colonel Connery, your statement is unclear. This terrain shapes our battle, by offering both constraints and opportunities."

"I am speaking of our environmental systems."

Aha!

"We have been fighting for more than twenty hours, Star Colonel Kerensky, and this planetoid's atmosphere is negligible. I propose a ceasefire so we may both recharge the air supplies on our 'Mechs."

"Your meaning is now clear, Star Colonel Connery. However, I decline your offer. My environmental systems have ample reserves of breathable air so such a ceasefire would benefit you far more than it does me."

Clan cockpits were efficient and refined, but also optimised for short engagements. The Inner Sphere 'Mechs were larger and less efficient but also contained supplies of food, water and atmosphere that could allow operations for as much as a week without resupply. Katya had not been counting on the Star Adders finding that they could not maintain the battle as long as her Cluster could – but it was enough of a possibility that she had even had warriors napping in shifts between engagements to ensure they were well rested and ready for battle. Not to mention that while she had bid no Elementals for the battle, that in no sense prevented disarmed suits from carrying out basic armour repairs and reloading ammunition for her 'MechWarriors.

"You may withdraw to your dropships if you wish. However, we will stalk your warriors every step of the way."

There was a still silence as Macleod Connery realised the trap he had led his Cluster into.

"In case you are interested, Star Colonel, this is the relentless warfare we Wolves have learned to fight in the Inner Sphere. Your Khan was right that Operation Revival committed far too little of the Clans' toumans to the invasion – but he was wrong to imagine that even with all of our Clans combined we could have brought the entire Inner Sphere under our banners."

"We Clans were naïve in the ways of war, but those of us who have invaded have learned our lessons well or we have fallen in glorious but futile skirmishes. Your warriors are unblooded in comparison."

"And yet we have taken nine worlds from you, and even the Fire Mandrills managed to seize four before they inevitably fell to infighting."

"Impoverished worlds that could sustain no more than bandits and that are located inconveniently far from our centres of power. You took those worlds because we chose to let your warriors expend their resources fighting for them. More than half of your supplies are gone now and we choose to allow you no further."

Katya brought her 'Mech around for another hit and run strike on the battered Star Adders.

"Enough. I request hegira." There was no defeat in Connery's voice. He might have lost now… but he knew this strategy now and while victory was beyond his grasp today he could return in a few months prepared for it.

"Denied. You bargained poorly, Star Adder, and now you reap the benefits. If you order a retreat, perhaps one in three of your warriors may reach their dropships alive. If you bring your dropships in to collect your warriors then you have broken your bid by committing them to the battlefield and I will order in my aerospace fighters to interdict this planetoid."

"You think I will surrender my Cluster to you?"

"You will surrender your Cavaliers or you will see them destroyed on this lifeless rock." Katya's voice was as pitiless as space itself. "Decide quickly."

.o0o.

 **Gamora, Twycross**

 **Jade Falcon Occupation Zone**

 **1 March 3052**

Between the extended nature of the Occupation Zones, it had taken more than two months for word of the ilKhan's death and ComStar's machinations to spread. The need to secure the HPG stations had further extended the necessary coordination period for a Grand Council meeting.

Two months! In the Homeworlds no Khan was ever more than two weeks from the Hall of Khans or hours from assembling via HPG conference. Elias Crichell was less shocked than awed. The original four invading Clans each had realms now that were larger than the entire Kerensky Cluster. The Nova Cats and Diamond Sharks were well on their way to similar power and the Steel Vipers… well, incompetence was its own reward.

Still, such a scale was imposing its own limitations and assembling all thirty-four Khans in one place was clearly unfeasible and so they sat in small groups where they could gather and the restored HPGs tied them together into one body.

There had been a few changes amid the Khans. Kincaid Furey had not lasted long as the junior Smoke Jaguar Khan and Sarah Weaver had reclaimed her position. Surprisingly, Bjorn Jorgenssen was no longer one of the Ghost Bear Khans and it took Crichell a moment to identify that the new face was Laurie Tseng, previously the Loremaster of the Ghost Bears.

"We are convened in conclave at a time of war, under the provisions of the Martial Code handed down by the Founder." Brandon Howell, a Smoke Jaguar, was serving as Loremaster to the Council. Perhaps that spoke of the expectation that Lincoln Osis or Sarah Weaver would be elevated to ilKhan, leaving a space for him as a Smoke Jaguar Khan.

Crichell would not have been surprised if the Smoke Jaguars had already prepared a throne. It would be in line with their arrogance. They were likely to be disappointed.

"Our ilKhan has fallen. We are gathered here to elect his successor," Howell continued.

"Neg!" snapped Daryl Keller of the Blood Spirits. "To elect the ilKhan now would be improper. We must convene in person, on Strana Mechty."

Most of the Khans would need months to make that journey from the Inner Sphere. Crichell kept his face clear of the scorn he felt for the suggestion. Keller and his entire Clan must be losing touch with reality. The invasion was only barely back on track after their earlier reversals. Half a year delay in electing an ilKhan, who would then be another six months from reaching the frontlines? Absurd!

"I have examined the Martial Code at great length." Vandervahn Chistu leant forwards intently. "There is no precedent for electing an ilKhan away from Strana Mechty… but nor is there any regulation that prohibits it. We may set a new precedent if we so choose."

You have much to learn, Vahn, thought Crichell. You see yourself as a contender for the title – but by so obviously moving to innovate you will offend the more traditional Khans. You have no deeds to your credit that will make you worthy. Osis can take credit for the conquest of Luthien and Kerensky for Rasalhague, but they are my rivals here. Jorgenssen might have been a contender but he has been removed somehow. Not you.

"Khan Chistu is correct," agreed Howell - predictably.

"There are other matters to discuss here." Aletha Kabrinski rose to her feet with explosive force. "There are Khans who sit here who have betrayed the invasion, who have no right to cast votes in the election of our ilKhan."

Crichell blinked. That was a bold accusation to make. "That is a serious accusation," he observed. "Who do you accuse, and of what precisely?"

Kabrinski's hologram stabbed her finger across the chamber at the hologram of Ulric Kerensky. "The Wolves have turned their forces against my Clan's Invasion Corridor. Striking by treachery they have shattered our supply lines and slaughtered our garrisons. I demand the Grand Council censure them and call on the Wolves to elect new Khans who must make good their plundering."

"Mind your tone, Kabrinski," rumbled Lincoln Osis. "Not even a Khan makes demands of this Council. What say you, Kerensky?"

Ulric removed the wolf-helm and set it on the desk before him. "Khan Kabrinski may have forgotten that it was her own Clan which proposed, in one of our previous gatherings, that the worlds of our Occupation Zones should be open to Trials of Possession by other Clans. That measure was voted on and approved by the Grand Council."

"We do not deny striking at Clan Ghost Bear – we boast of it," added Charles Dinour. "We hold fifteen worlds today that were once held by the Ghost Bears. Aletha Kabrinski stands as senior Khan of that Clan today because we slew Bjorn Jorgenssen upon Alshain."

"Our actions are no more illegal than the recent Trials of Possession which have carved out enclaves for Clan Fire Mandrill, Clan Star Adder and Clan Burrock from worlds originally taken by Clan Wolf and Clan Jade Falcon." The older Wolf Khan nodded to the leaders of each of the three home Clans. "I hear no calls to censure them – and nor should there be. They fought bravely and well for those worlds."

"I agree." Osis crossed his arms across his massive chest. "And I will remind Khan Kabrinski of the fate of Clan Mongoose."

A hiss went up. Clan Mongoose had tried to use political influence in the Grand Council to overturn the outcome of military defeats. The Khans of the time had affirmed that the final judge of any decision was the battlefield and that the Mongoose's manoeuvrings were an affront to the Way of the Clans. Clan Smoke Jaguar had won the right to absorb the treacherous Clan but had treated it more as if it was a Trial of Annihilation. Virtually all the Mongoose bloodlines had been eradicated save for stockpiles of genetic material the Jaguars held as trophies but declined to ever use.

"A cautionary tale, Khan Osis. One we would be wise to remember lest other Clans make the same mistake in the future." Crichell smiled. "We must remember that Khan Kabrinski has only recently lost her Khan – something that may easily lead any of us to speak in haste and without due thought. I am sure Clan Ghost Bear is not so foolish as to take this false path, Khan Tseng?"

The former Loremaster looked as if she had bitten into something sour. "Indeed. We mourn our Khan but we acknowledge his death was a lawful one and that the Wolf's claims are within the bounds of law – although their disregard for Zellbrigen is an offense we will not soon forget."

Well. The Ghost Bears will certainly vote for neither Kerensky nor Osis now. In fact, I would not be surprised if the Smoke Jaguars decided to seize whatever is left of the Ghost Bear's stockpiles. They may be closest to Terra, but if the Bears think that that has made them friends then they are sadly mistaken.

"How pleasing to see that the Wolves claws have not blunted." Malavai Fletcher looked smug. His Clan had a long and sometimes bitter rivalry with the Ghost Bears. "Our recent gains at your expense had led me to wonder if the Founder's legacy had faltered."

"You have indeed bested our cubs and our elders, Khan Fletcher." Ulric smiled confidently. "The Grand Council demanded that Clan Wolf must participate in this invasion and so we have found our future here, in the Inner Sphere. I am sure that most of you are aware that our holdings on the Home Worlds are diminished in recent months. What you may not realise is that save for our holdings on Strana Mechty -" Each clan held inviolably an equal share of the Clan's capital world. Only the destruction of a Clan would lead to enclaves there changing hands. "- we have no remaining enclaves in the Pentagon or the Kerensky Cluster."

He looked around the chamber and seemed to find what he found satisfying. "With the help of our allies, we have brought all of our core assets into the Inner Sphere and here we will make our homes. If you want our worlds, come and take them – if you can. You may find it more of a challenge than you have found in the Home Worlds."

Howell thumped his desk. "If you will move on from this matter, we have still to elect a new ilKhan."

"First we must decide if we even should." Robin Steele glared at him with more vigour than Crichell expected from the aged Khan. "Strana Mechty is sacred ground and every ilKhan has been elected there. I move that we should abide by this tradition and adjourn the election until the Khans can gather there in person."

"I realise it may have escaped your attention, Khan Steele, but some of us have an invasion to carry out."

"Your invasion, Khan Chistu, has failed. The plans provided by the late ilKhan anticipated that we would need fifteen waves of attacks, lasting a total of three years, to reach Terra. Yet by my count there have been exactly that number of attacks and yet you are little if any closer to Terra - or your goal of declaring yourselves the ilClan - than you were a year ago. The resistance of the Inner Sphere is, if anything, stiffening."

"Khan Steele's argument is unwelcome," Sevren Leroux declared, "Yet we must admit that the invasion has not gone to plan. Our warriors now walk on Tharkad -"

"WHAT!?" came a roar from the Smoke Jaguars.

"Our warriors walk on Tharkad," the Nova Cat's senior Khan repeated patiently, "Be calm, Khan Osis, we do not claim control of Tharkad, merely to have reached it. We do have access now to unprecedented information on the Federated Commonwealth and their military capacity. While they have taken painful casualties fighting against us – and I draw special attention to the protracted and bitter fighting the Steel Vipers have endured – they are nowhere near the end of their material or personnel resources. Indeed, the pace of their preparations has only increased."

"Not only are the Federated Commonwealth constructing replacement equipment for units still fighting, they are even rebuilding destroyed commands. On Coventry we encountered a new Tenth Donegal Guards and a new Eleventh Lyran Guards, replacing the units destroyed by Clan Steel Viper and Clan Jade Falcon respectively. Having studied their factories on Coventry and Tharkad, our technicians confirm that their technology is generally abreast of ours – even ahead in a few limited areas."

Ulric leant forwards. "Such as?"

"I am told that some of their BattleMechs – including the same one used to successfully duel and slay Leo Showers – are fitted with advanced myomers up to three times as efficient as our own."

"Three times?"

"The functional performance gain is not proportionate, of course."

Khan Sennet cleared her throat. "I believe that some salvage from Luthien has included advanced targeting systems with capabilities we do not yet utilise. On that basis I would have to concur that the Inner Sphere's technology is not always inferior to our own."

"Indeed. And it is believed that the Federated Commonwealth has actually shipped weapons to the Draconis Combine." Leroux frowned. "I hope the significance is not lost on any of you. The Inner Sphere may not be united against us but they are at least willing to cooperate to an extent out of self-interest – something that seems increasingly difficult for us."

Crichell came to his feet. "This is valuable information, my peers, but we are once again straying from our purpose. Khan Steele has placed a measure before this council. Let us vote on whether or not to defer the election until we can return to Strana Mechty."

Howell bowed. "Thank you, Khan Crichell. A vote of yea shall be in favour of immediate election of an ilKhan, a vote of nay shall leave us leaderless until such time as the Grand Council can assemble on Strana Mechty."

The votes were tallied and Crichell gritted his teeth as a narrow gap widened. A core of crusader Clans favoured an immediate election but the Clans who remained in the Home Worlds formed a solid bloc against this, backed by Clan Nova Cat and – after both Wolf Khans abstained – Clan Ghost Bear. The final vote was thirteen in favour of an election and nineteen opposed.

Lincoln Osis slammed his fist against his desk. "I demand a Trial of Refusal."

"That is your right, Khan Osis. The odds are set at one point four-six against you, although bidding may reduce this margin. What forces do you bid?"

"The Sixth Jaguar Dragoons!"

Howell winced. That was one of Clan Smoke Jaguar's finest Clusters but… "That will require that the Trial of Refusal take place here in the Inner Sphere. In order to carry it out promptly…"

"I bid the First Bear Guards," offered Laurie Tseng, drawing a sharp look from Aletha Kabrinski. While Kabrinski was senior, that only counted within the Clan. On the Grand Council all Khans were equal. "I propose that we use Xinyang, on the border of our invasion corridors, as the location of the Trial. The Guards can be there in a week."

"The Dragoons will be there." Osis drew himself up. "We will do battle on the eighth of this month, quaiff?"

"Aff. Bargained well and done, Lincoln Osis."

"Since other matters should wait until we know if we will have an ilKhan or not, I propose we end this gathering," offered Charles Dinour. "At the current pace, if we keep talking we will have two new blood feuds by the end of the day."

Crichell nodded and in the absence of any opposition, Howell bowed and closed the session.

"Ulric is up to something," Chistu accused once the HPG transmitter had closed down.

"I agree." Cassius N'Buta was enjoying the hospitality of Clan Jade Falcon while his saKhan led operations against Clan Wolf – although those might now be stonewalled if what Ulric said about his forces was correct. If the Wolves had the full strength of their touman in their occupation zone then the Star Adder's Gamma Galaxy could be defeated easily without seriously weakening the Wolves elsewhere.

"If nothing else, he has forced the Khans to re-examine the Home Worlds. Election or no election I suspect at least a dozen of the Khans would be returning home within the month. If we want an ilKhan, all of us will have to make that journey. For the Wolves to arrange a withdrawal with no one even noticing…"

"I would not be surprised if a number of Khans turn out to be on their way already. I have not met with Lynn McKenna or Malavai Fletcher in months. SaKhan Posavatz of the Scorpions visited the Nova Cats recently, but Khan Djerassi…"

"Only the Smoke Jaguars have as extensive an Occupation Zone as the Wolves." Chistu rose to his feet and paced. "But they control a sparsely populated region of space and until they reached Pesht and Luthien, they controlled few major industrial worlds. Add fifteen Ghost Bears worlds to the Wolf domain and no other single Clan can equal them."

Crichell nodded. "If the Ghost Bears win their Trial of Refusal – or if they lose but the new Khan is not a Smoke Jaguar – Lincoln Osis will lash out at them. As unnatural as it seems, the Smoke Jaguars and Wolves will be – not allies, but at least have a foe in common. And the Ghost Bears will be crushed between them."

"Which does nothing to advance the Invasion." N'Buta looked over at the two Jade Falcons. "We need a new leader and a new plan. I must travel to our newly seized worlds to confer with Tabitha Paik before we return to the Home Worlds. You have until then to convince me that one of you is the leader we need."

.o0o.

 **Silverdale, Alshain**

 **Wolf Occupation Zone**

 **19 March 3052**

The Silverroot Keshik crashed against the Golden Keshik and in moments the two trinaries were entangled in a brutal struggle for survival.

Traditionally the senior Khan of the Ghost Bears lead the Ourse Keshik but they had died with their Khan and so Aletha Kabrinski retained the Alpha Galaxy command trinary as her bodyguards and her saKhan was still escorted by the Beta Galaxy Keshik – wherever that might be, since Ulric knew that they hadn't been bid for this battle.

The sky, as 'Mechs and Elementals tore at each other furiously, was clear. Every pilot was engaged heavily far above the atmosphere as the Ghost Bear flagship Dieron's Run, the battleship Ursa Major and two escorting Essex-class destroyers tore at Ulric's flagship Dire Wolf, escorted by the battlecruisers Blood Drinker and Stealthy Kill.

Ulric's Executioner was loaded for mid-range combat, approximating the usual A configuration although he'd traded the machine guns and their ammunition for a rear-mounted small laser and an extra heatsink. A Mad Dog engaged him with PPC and autocannon. Recognising that it was trying to close into range for its substantial SRM racks, the Khan activated the acceleration circuitry built into his 'Mech and circled, raking the lighter 'Mech with fire from the pulse lasers in his 'Mech's left arm and then the extended range lasers in the right.

The Ghost Bears had discarded zellbrigen, expecting nothing less from the Wolves and they hadn't been disappointed. In this case that meant a second Executioner joined the battle and fired on Ulric with a Gauss Rifle and a pair of large lasers. The MechWarrior seemed content to pick apart the Wolf Khan from long range while the Mad Dog kept him from closing, scoring its own hit on his frontal armour with its PPC.

Ulric's counter was a classic one-two approach – first he fired his four extended range lasers low, stripping away armour from the Mad Dog's legs. Secondly he used his jump-jets to close in and peppered the more damaged leg with fire from his three pulse lasers.

The limb tore away and the Mad Dog crashed forwards onto its face, momentarily unable to use its missiles. Ulric closed further and unleashed almost all his lasers into its back. Explosions tore one side of the Mad Dog apart as ammunition detonated, while on the other side the bulk of the missile launchers were wrecked.

That probably wouldn't stop the 'Mech entirely… but Evantha Fetladral and her Elementals were already hopping from cover to cover towards it. And that would be final.

Ulric turned his attention to the enemy Executioner, which was slamming more shots into him, blasting away armour over his own 'Mech's left arm and leg. Returning fire with his pulse lasers, the Khan strode forwards, forcing the other 'Mech to back up if it wanted to avoid entering the range of the cluster of extended range medium lasers in the Khan's right arm.

The edge in firepower belonged slightly to the Ghost Bear until Ulric could reach four hundred and fifty metres – but only slightly, for deadly accuracy of the pulse lasers allowed the Khan to place his shots accurately – and he was aiming every shot for the right side of the Executioner's chest.

Jump-jets, myomer acceleration – the Ghost Bear tried all the tricks save one to keep the range open. His only hope of matching Ulric's speed was to turn his back and run at maximum speed, leaving him open to shots against the vulnerable rear armour. Unwilling to take that chance, he let the distance fall past that fatal distance and Ulric added medium lasers to his barrage.

This was sufficient to complete his objective, tearing open the Executioner's side and revealing the engine shielding, coolant systems and – fatally – the ammunition stock for the machineguns. Cellular ammunition storage saved the core internal systems of the Executioner – but it put the right arm out of action and reduced it to only one weapon – the gauss rifle in the left arm.

Changing tactics, the Ghost Bear halted his retreat, dropped to one knee and braced the gauss rifle for the most accurate shot. A slug smashed directly into the armour, right below Ulric's cockpit.

He returned fire, stripping away tons of armour.

The Ghost Bear Executioner shifted its aim up a little but although there was the slight electromagnetic pulse of the capacitors discharging, the Gauss Rifle didn't fire.

Out of ammunition, perhaps, Ulric concluded and closed in to finish the job. Before he could take another shot he saw a flicker of movement and wheeled his 'Mech sharply. A Fire Moth darted past, torso twisted to track him and five lasers burned through his 'Mech's left arm, just below the shoulder.

Ulric continued his evasive movement as the lightning fast light 'Mech circled around, angling for another pass. A Fire Moth in D configuration. In the Silverroot Keshik that could only mean one person.

"Aletha Kabrinski, I presume?"

"Aye."

She kicked in her own acceleration circuitry and rushed him, the little 'Mech's speed over two hundred kilometres an hour – unrivalled even among Clan 'Mechs.

Ulric fired his jump jets to avoid the fury of the Ghost Bear Khan's weapons. She had five lasers to his four, as well as a flamer (although if he let her get close enough to use that then he would deserve the outcome). Only one laser scored on his Executioner but none of his shots hit and she rushed out of range, using the distance to turn and cool.

The match was more even that it appeared – Kabrinski's speed let her engage and disengage at will now that his longest range weapons were out of action. That made his advantage in heatsinks moot since she could take time to shed heat. He retained much more armour but if she hit him and he couldn't hit her…

Instinctively, despite the decision to abandon the rules of zellbrigen, the warriors of both sides spread out to give the Khans room to battle without interference. Orders were one thing but a two century tradition was another. Many on both sides even ceased fire and backed up to watch the Khans battle.

The flipside of the coin, Ulric decided, was that not even the thickest armour on the Fire Moth could withstand laser hits from the weapons they were both using. Any hit at all could penetrate and potentially cause very serious damage to the light 'Mech. Only the supremely confident would use such a 'Mech in a duel like this – usually the Ghost Bears assigned Fire Moths as little more than transportation to a point of Elementals.

She charged again and this time Ulric didn't turn to avoid her, instead he moved his Executioner into the attack.

Armour peeled away from the Executioner's right arm as Kabrinski combined the targeting computer of her 'Mech with her preternatural skill and shaved away the armour of the limb, the bolts of energy tearing away myomers and one of the lasers.

As she rushed past again it was hard for Ulric to tell what damage she might have taken but his battle computer was able to reconstruct the hits for him, outlining a schematic that showed he had struck twice near the centre of mass, leaving much of the armour between right shoulder and cockpit bare of protection. He'd hit near the weapon mounts so he might even have taken out one of her lasers.

Kabrinski's tactic was obvious: take out his other arm and leave the Executioner almost defenceless. Then she could tear the 'Mech apart at her leisure and render Ulric helpless before she killed him. Even if he had taken out one laser, another pinpoint salvo like the last one would eliminate his right arm.

Ulric stalked back to where he had been standing when Aletha first attacked him, crouching the Executioner so that she was facing his left shoulder, the right arm shielded by the 'Mech's torso.

"It will not save you, Ulric!"

She rushed him again and this time Ulric didn't try to use his lasers.

Holding still until the last minute he brought his 'Mech up and around, the arm lashing out in a sweep that would be cockpit high on the Fire Moth.

Aletha danced the little 'Mech behind the reach of the arm –

And the severed left arm of Ulric's Executioner, held in the hand of his 'Mech, extended that reach enough to crash against the already damaged right side of her Fire Moth.

The Fire Moth spun twice under the impact and crashed down on its back, plates of armour cracking.

Ulric triggered his jump-jets, bringing up a ventral camera on one of his secondary displays to check his landing zone.

The camera caught Aletha Kabrinski's face staring up through the canopy of her cockpit for a brief second before more than ninety tons of OmniMech crashed down on her.

Ulric raised his arm. "Wolves! Break them!" he ordered.

Three Galaxies of his finest warriors howled as they charged into the horrified Ghost Bear warriors.

.o0o.

 **Silverdale, Alshain**

 **Wolf Occupation Zone**

 **22 March 3052**

Bondsman Anastasius opened the office that Ulric had claimed for his own. "Khan Tseng of Clan Ghost Bear requests your attention."

Sitting back in what had once been Bjorn Jorgenssen's chair, Ulric stretched and then checked his uniform. The grey leathers seemed presentable enough. "I'll speak to her here. Put her through and listen to the conversation. I may want your opinion later."

The white-haired man nodded quietly and stepped out. A moment later and the hologram of Laurie Tseng sprang to life, sitting in a chair very much like Ulric's on the far side of the desk.

"Khan Tseng. To what do I owe the unexpected pleasure?"

"Spare me your empty courtesies, Ulric Kerensky. I gather that your Clan has taken to denying hegira so I shall not request that. I am here to discuss terms of ending the conflict between our Clans."

He spread his hands. "You have my attention."

"If you want our invasion corridor so much then I am inclined to let you choke on it. We could extract a high price from you, but with our supplies in your hands and many of our best warriors dead or captive we would not stop you."

Ulric nodded. The First Bear Guards had battered the Sixth Jaguar Dragoons into submission on Xinyang – and left Lincoln Osis in a coma he had yet to wake from - but the price had been high. Throw in the loss of garrison troops taken as bondsman and the casualties taken by Alpha, Delta and Rho Galaxies in the unsuccessful attempt to retake Alshain…

The Ghost Bears still in theory had a line of retreat along their corridor, although it was fairly notional between the Wolf gains followed by Clan Smoke Jaguar seizing Garstedt and four other worlds. Rimwards of Alshain though were a rich cluster of worlds between Rubigen and Baldur.

"Avoiding that price is worth some concessions on my part. I take it you wish to extract your remaining forces and return to the Home Worlds, quiaff?"

"Aff," Tseng admitted reluctantly. "Unfortunately with the jumpships and dropships you captured, we no longer have the lift capacity for our support personnel."

Ulric considered and then smiled thinly. "As it happens, Clan Snow Raven have several warships in our Occupation Zone, having escorted a convoy of our civilians from the Pentagon. My understanding is that they are currently bargaining for goods to carry back with them. I can find the resources to fill half of their holds, if in exchange they agree to use the rest to transport some of your personnel and equipment back to Arcadia."

"Do you expect thanks for this offer?"

"I am sure that if I declined to offer something of the kind you would offer the worlds to the Diamond Sharks and hope that I would be lured into a feud with them over the territory." He scratched his beard. "Not all of those we captured would find it easy to adapt to our ways, as much as they might be valuable in other ways. I will release half of our bondsmen to return to your Clan, to help you rebuild in the Home Worlds."

The Ghost Bear narrowed her eyes for a moment but then relaxed. "That, I will admit, is generous."

"Do not ruin my reputation for pragmatism, Khan Tseng."

"I accept your offer. It will take some weeks before we are ready to depart. I have ordered my forces to concentrate at Marawi and Mualang."

Ulric nodded. "I will arrange transportation at Clan Wolf's expense for those you cannot transport further from Marawi to Skallevoll where the Snow Ravens ships are located."

"That is acceptable. Be aware that with so many of our garrisons retreating you may have to reconquer several worlds we took recently." She sneered. "Also, the DCMS recently seized Shirotori while we were otherwise engaged in defending ourselves from your treachery. That is your problem now."

"Bargained well and done," agreed Ulric.

The hologram vanished and Ulric pulled up a new communications form. He filled out the fields quickly and then touched his intercom. "Anastasius."

The bondsman – once Frederick Steiner, then Anastasius Focht and now merely a possession of Clan Wolf – opened the door. "Khan Ulric?"

"I've sent a file to your desk. Forward it to Star Admiral Sukhanov on Skallevoll. Unless I misjudge her, she will jump at the chance to return to the Home Worlds with holds half-full of manufactured goods - even if they are intended for a civilian market - and an implicit favour owed by Clan Ghost Bear."

"I can think of several men who would have wanted to completely destroy the Ghost Bears."

"How many of those men prospered?" asked Ulric curiously.

"I suppose that few of them did prosper, in the end."

"That does not surprise me. The Ghost Bears are adversaries but in the Home Worlds they will help to stabilise the situation there. It will be only a matter of time before those Clans still in the Home Worlds feel that they could make a better job of invading than we have. The Ghost Bears will be living evidence amongst them of how difficult such an invasion can be. Return once you have sent that. I have some diplomatic correspondence to prepare."

"Diplomatic correspondence?" The one-eyed man left the room briefly and then returned. "You have a visitor, Khan Kerensky."

"Oh?"

Vlad Ward stalked in. "Khan Ulric."

"Star Colonel. My congratulations on your Wolf Hunters' recent performance."

The younger man nodded absently and then glared. "Khan, why are you not en route to the Home Worlds?"

"Why would I do that?"

"There is such a matter as the election of an ilKhan?"

Ulric smiled triumphantly. "Oh, have we been called to conclave to do that? I do not recall any such summons."

Vlad looked at him as if he had lost his senses. "But…"

"I blame Brandon Howell," added the Khan cheerfully. "As Loremaster of the Grand Council he should really have made the arrangements to summon the Khans once it became clear that Khan Osis had lost his Trial of Refusal. Perhaps he was distracted by arranging for the Smoke Jaguars to vote him in as their new saKhan. In any event, the martial code is quite clear. The Khans are under no obligation to embark for Strana Mechty until the summons is issued and reasonable travel time must be allowed for."

"Then… six months delay."

"Six months from when someone actually summons the Khans. And the longer it takes them to realise that, Vlad, the longer it will be before we have an ilKhan to answer to." Ulric looked out the window and pointed at the Wolf banner where the Ghost Bear (and previously the dragon of the Combine) had once flown. "I suspect that Leo Showers would have objected to the Ghost Bears surrendering their invasion corridor to us. I am certain that Elias Crichell will once he hears about it."

"The Ghost Bears have surrendered?"

"Indeed. I will be sending out formal notification to the Clan Council shortly. We will provide reasonable assistance in helping them withdraw to the Home Worlds and in return we'll gain considerable defensive depth along our flank."

"Not to mention retaking the lead in the advance on Terra."

"Vlad, you need to face the facts. Robin Steele was perfectly correct when she told us the invasion had failed. Resistance has stiffened to the point that we have no realistic hope of reaching Terra – Khan Tseng advised me that the Ghost Bears have even been pushed back off a world they had taken. We must focus on bringing Clan Wolf out of the debacle in the strongest possible position."

"We've come so far."

"Very nearly half the distance, but even combined all the invading Clans control barely ten percent of the Inner Sphere. It's time to dig in and consolidate. We have vastly more resources than we did before. A generation or two from now who knows what the situation may be? But for now we are surrounded by enemies – both rival Clans, the Great Houses of the Inner Sphere and even the population of the worlds we control."

"Then we will defeat them!" Vlad snapped angrily.

"Aff. And doing so will blood our warriors as no other Clan's touman will be. But not all enemies are defeated with violence. For now, the threats are uprisings on our worlds, counter-offensives by the Inner Sphere and the censure of the other Clans. The uprisings can be turned aside by bringing the people into the Clan fully – not only teaching them our ways but also learning their ways and taking up those of them that are of benefit to us."

"The Inner Sphere, for now, we can deter with a strong posture and polite – but firm – words. Let the other Clans fight them. They will lose because no Clan except ours came here prepared not just to invade but to conquer. But while they are faced by the Smoke Jaguars and Jade Falcons, the Federated Commonwealth and the Draconis Combine can be convinced to give us the time we need in order to build the strength to withstand them."

"That leaves the censure, when they are shamed and defeated, of our enemies on the Grand Council." Ulric gave Vlad a confident look. "And we Clans know the truth that the rest of humanity shrink from. Every decision we make is enforced – or thwarted – by violence. We will not only be the strongest of the Clans, we will be as strong as all of them combined. And that being the case, with warriors like you in the lead, we will triumph over them."

.o0o.

 **ComStar Compound, Hilton Head Island**

 **North America, Terra**

 **24 March 3052**

Bruce Tjulander had been Precentor Martial for less than three weeks when he was executed by ROM guards.

"Incompetents! How can I do Blake's work when I am surrounded by incompetence of this scale!?" the Primus had shouted before giving the command.

It reminded Demona Aziz very much of the fate of Tjulander's predecessor, Margo Koivu, who had been executed for evident treachery behind the failure of Operation Revelation to secure Tharkad or New Avalon. Or even Sian.

As little as Aziz liked Precentor Martial Focht, she was unable to entirely blame him for failing to return from the Clan Occupation Zones. That assumed, of course, that he was free to do so - and that he had even received the recall message. HPG stations across Clan Occupation Zones had fallen silent and a few ComGuard units were trickling into Combine space telling stories of sudden and overwhelming assaults.

The Precentor for Atreus gestured for her aide, Cameron St Jamais, to collect the datapad that Tjulander had been carrying.

"Do not waste your time with that nonsense, Aziz." Waterly seemed to slump as she turned back towards the only other available member of the First Circuit. "The fool's claims of our losses are outrageous."

"Permit me to investigate for you, Primus. We must know how deep the rot runs, after all."

"Do as you will then. You are dismissed." The Primus gestured wearily towards the door.

"What do you make of it?" Aziz asked St Jamais as he examined the datapad.

"Nothing good." He thumbed the scroll control. "We should be grateful that the late Precentor Beresick brought his warships home. We can ill afford to lose two battlecruisers."

"What remains?"

"Besides the battlecruisers, we still have a troop cruiser – although it looks more like a pocket battleship – three cruisers, four frigates, seven destroyers and two corvettes. Some of those are still being upgraded but the six ships 'missing' after Hesperus II and whatever happened at Galax were almost thirty percent of our naval strength."

"There are still caches we haven't reactivated but those will take years to prepare. And the ground forces?"

"Counting the Terran Defence Force, before Operation Revelation we had thirteen Armies, totalling seventy-eight divisions. Right now we have thirteen divisions intact in the Draconis Combine, four badly depleted divisions in the Taurian Concordat – Tjulander ordered them to consolidate down to two divisions – sixteen intact divisions in the Free Worlds League and ten divisions here on Terra. Everything else is at best missing and realistically most or all of them are destroyed."

Aziz pursed her lips. "So we have forty-one remaining divisions – almost half the ComGuards has been wiped out in the course of Operation Revelation. Hmm. And around a third of them are currently inside the Free Worlds League – which makes it reasonably secure. After all, Thomas Marik was one of us for many years."

She remained lost in thought as they walked the rest of the way back to her office. "Cameron, how many of the divisions in the League were deployed as part of Operation Revelation?"

"The Seventy-Sixth and 143rd Divisions carried out the attack on Alarion – they don't appear to have seen heavy action there."

"No others?"

"Ah… no, the 386th Division was deployed from Sixth Army but the unit took heavy losses fighting the Wolf Dragoons and the survivors were used as replacements for losses in the other units there and withdrew to the Combine with them. Three divisions from Eighth Army attacked Hesperus II but…"

"Please, Cameron, I may not be a military expert but even I know that Hesperus II has never fallen. I take it those divisions are among the missing or dead?"

St Jamais nodded his confirmation.

"Well, the Word of Blake must be upheld." Aziz tapped her console. "I'll request permission to return to Atreus to shore up relations with Thomas Marik and interview the commanders of the Seventy-Sixth and 143rd Divisions. On the assumption that I may need expert military advice, see what arrangements would be needed for me to meet with them on New Olympia and for a staff detached from the Seventh Army to meet me there."

"New Olympia?"

"I think drawing attention to them by gathering on Atreus would be a mistake, Cameron. New Olympia is convenient and I believe we have a fairly major ComGuards presence there anyway. If we're going to support further operations we'll need to have everything in order."

And if we're not going to support the Primus, she mused inside the privacy of her own head, then ComStar will need a powerful patron to defend us from the Federated Commonwealth. Thomas Marik is the only House Lord not bled white facing the Clans and he's naturally sympathetic to us. If he's favourably inclined then it may be time to see how Theodore Kurita is feeling – with the rest of the First Circuit dead or missing the Primus has only one likely successor.

Then again, do I want to inherit the current mess? Perhaps it's time for a fresh start for our Order. History may look back on me as a second Conrad Toyama – if I succeed, of course.

.o0o.

 **Brzo, Tukkayid**

 **Benjamin District, Draconis Combine**

 **1 April 3052**

"You have a Clan Wolf envoy on planet?" Tai-sa Bobby Bock – who was a samurai in the service of House Kurita, no matter how Lyran his name sounded – queried, wondering if he'd developed a hearing disorder. Hopefully not – any problems with one's ears usually had consequences for your ability to pilot a BattleMech.

The commander of the local militia bowed. "Indeed, Bock-sama. It is a very strange matter but all diplomatic forms were followed, so we felt it best to accept them provisionally until such time as we could report the matter to Buckminster."

"And he has caused no problems."

"Ah, no sir. She is a very intimidating woman but she has been… as polite as a gaijin might be expected to be."

"Show me to her." Bock wondered how intimidating a mere woman could be.

The available diplomatic quarters were merely second-rate – not unreasonable for a backwater farming world really. They were in the classic Japanese style and the Tai-sa had a moment of amusement, contemplating some savage Wolf Clanswoman trying to survive in civilised society.

They had entered without knocking and there was no immediate sign of an occupant. Bock was about to query this when he detected the sound of running water from the bathroom. Well, a diplomat of sorts and there were limits to how one should treat even gaijin women. "Announce me," he muttered.

The militiaman flushed. "Ah, Captain Fetladral! It is I, Michel de la Nancy. I have brought a senior officer of the DCMS to discuss your diplomatic mission."

The woman who emerged from the bathroom was soaking wet, although the towel she held was remedying that quickly enough. She was also completely nude and at least as large as both men combined, with a head of dark red hair. "That is Star Captain Fetladral, Michel. Must I remind you again?"

"Ah, I am very sorry, Star Captain. May I present Tai-sa Bock of the Nineteenth Galedon Regulars?"

Bock managed to bow without losing his composure. "I am informed you are a diplomatic envoy."

"Aff," the woman concurred, tossing the towel over a drying rack and starting to pull on a jumpsuit. "I bear a message from Khan Ulric Kerensky to Coordinator Theodore Kurita."

"You are aware that a state of war exists between your Clan and the Combine, with regard to your invasion of Lothan?"

"I am advised that the purpose of a diplomat is to resolve such matters without violence. I am a warrior of Clan Wolf – if you prefer violence than I am more than able to confront you on those terms."

"That would be a decision for more senior heads than mine," Bock admitted grudgingly. "My mission was to re-establish contact now that we control Shirotori and again have ready access to this world."

Fetladral smiled almost sweetly. "And yet Shirotori was a Federated Commonwealth world until the Ghost bears seized it. Do you expect no conflicts with House Davion over this matter?"

"That would also be a matter for more senior heads."

"I hope to meet some of these senior heads and possibly the people attached to them at some point." The woman was at least decently dressed now.

"Do you intend to deliver the message directly?" Bock calculated how long it would take the irregular jumpship traffic to reach New Samarkand. Given that the direct route was impossible, lying across the leading edge of the Smoke Jaguar and Diamond Shark occupied worlds, it would take quite some time.

"That will not be necessary if you have HPG access or wish to courier it yourselves. My message is somewhat confidential, but I am permitted to share it with Combine officials as necessary."

Bock nodded in understanding. "I believe I must request a verbal summary so I may decide to whom I should direct you."

"Logical. Khan Ulric Kerensky, with the approval of his Clan Council, advises Coordinator Theodore Kurita that Clan Ghost Bear has decided to withdraw from the Inner Sphere. Clan Wolf has received title to all worlds under the control of Clan Ghost Bear as of this decision."

"Our Clan has decided that we will no longer pursue the conquest of further worlds of the Inner Sphere at the expense of the Draconis Combine. In token of this we offer the Coordinator a treaty of peace between our states. As a sign of our sincerity in this matter, we are prepared to negotiate the return of certain worlds to the rule of the Draconis Combine."

"I must stress that Clan Wolf does not speak for Clan Smoke Jaguar, Clan Diamond Shark or for any other Clan. Nor do we offer assistance against our fellow Clans."

The samurai stared at her for a moment. "You hold at least two dozen Combine worlds."

"If I understand the historical summaries of the Succession Wars, practically all of our Occupation Zone has been under the control of House Kurita at some point in the last hundred years. Oddly, the majority of worlds were not conquered from the Combine however. Clearly the exact border is not an inviolable fact." Then she grinned. "And we are offering to return some. When I departed, Khan Ulric was discussing the return of worlds nearer to Terra than Rubigen."

"I think I had better refer this matter as high as I can. I will send an HPG message to Warlord Petroff on Benjamin. He can then directly communicate with the Coordinator. I don't presume to know what their reply will be, however I think it would be best you remain here until I receive instructions."

She made an annoyed noise. "As you prefer. This is quite a tedious place."

"At this precise moment I believe it is about as far from the centre of Combine affairs as it is possible to be – the fact that you, who might be the most important business in the Combine, are here is one of life's little ironies."

.o0o.

 **Manchester Drop Port, New Exford**

 **Jade Falcon Occupation Zone**

 **3 April 3052**

The sky was a tracery of autocannon fire and fighter exhausts as Kai fired off judicious blasts from Legendkiller's jump-pack, stabilising his descent. Around him the rest of the Eleventh Lyran Guards were doing much the same.

"Intel update," the staff officer safely above the fighting on a Twenty-Sixth Lyran Guards dropship informed them. "We've identified the unit below as the Second Falcon Jaegers. High probability that they were loading to resume the offensive. Watch out for other units of the Gyrfalcon Galaxy."

Kai realised the ground was closing in and fired off what was left of his jump-pack's fuel slowing himself to the point that Legendkiller hit the ground feet first with no more force than if he'd stumbled slightly. "Eyes open," he ordered and spotted a pair of Elemental points rushing between drop-port buildings.

His lasers lashed out, sending two of the armoured infantrymen tumbling, and his autocannon shells finished one off, although he tagged several of the others with incidental damage.

Gyrfalcon Galaxy were one of the original units deployed for the invasion. If they were at full strength, they should number seven complete Clusters – a nasty problem. And although the Jade Falcon spearhead units had been torn up fighting their way through the heavy garrisons on Esteros and Bountiful Harvest, the Gyrfalcons had been brought forward to take New Exford specifically because it hadn't been involved in that fighting.

"The Second Jaegers were commanded by Marthe Pryde," warned Diana as her Archer regrouped on Kai. "She has a reputation for ruthlessness."

"Do tell."

"She shot my genesire in the back to earn a higher rank in her Trial of Position."

Kai made a mental note to explain rhetorical questions to Diana again. "You're not going to go off on a rampage of revenge are you?"

"No. I have never met her and she may be dead."

The Elementals came back into view – at least Kai thought they were the same group – clinging to the sides of a Star of ungainly looking medium 'Mechs that didn't match up to anything in the warbook. Fast movers, and although they had the same chassis, armament varied widely, suggesting that they were OmniMechs.

"Seen them before?"

"Neg." One of the 'Mechs opened fire on Diana with arm-mounted LRM launchers. She dodged one of the missile flights but the second caused some surface damage to her armour. Popping the covers on her launchers she returned fire with half-again as many missiles. The 'Mech tried to avoid her shots with a sudden burst of speed but the solid flat permacrete of the road wasn't ideal for grip and it lost its feet, falling backwards and crushing one of the Elementals clinging to its back. More than half Diana's LRMs scored hits, punching craters into its armour but not penetrating. "There were rumours of new OmniMechs in development but none were ready for deployment when I left the Home Worlds."

"Looks like someone finished the job."

Kai singled out his own target, one sporting a mix of gun barrels in the arms and missile launchers in the shoulders. The rest of Able Company was grouping on their position, so the other three Jade Falcons weren't being ignored. Holding one of Legendkiller's large lasers in reserve he punched shots into the right side of the 'Mech, above and below the hips.

Although the armour ruptured over the 'Mech's LRM launcher, it didn't seem to have damaged the weapon since the Jade Falcon replied with every weapon he had. Three lasers bit into the armour of Kai's right arm and right leg, while LRMs pounded the centre chest and a couple of SRMs found targets on his knee. He shook his head as he saw the infra-red signature of the 'Mech soar – the MechWarrior had pushed himself into the red zone with that Alpha strike.

"If you can't watch your heat you shouldn't be in the cockpit," he observed on the general band, not really expecting a verbal reply. On the other hand, Steel Vipers would sometimes lose their heads at even mild taunting.

The 'Mech cut its lasers and fired again with its missiles while Kai drew a bead. "Neg, falconer, I am worthy!" the young voice called out as the missiles went low and did only minor damage to Legendkiller's left leg with the LRMs – the SRMs went entirely wild.

Kai raked the 'Mech with his autocannon and was gratified to see the right side erupt in fire as LRM storage blew up. "Falconer?"

"Training officers in sibkos." Diana had caught her target with another salvo of LRMs, ripping away more of its armour, and now she was sparing her ammunition and picking at weak-spots with her lasers. "That self-proclaimed warrior must be barely out of training."

A PPC shot slashed out of nowhere and tore through the armour on the shoulder of Diana's Archer, almost wrecking the joint. "Perhaps you want more formidable opposition, spheroid," suggested a woman's voice.

The source of the PPC shot, a Summoner OmniMech with scorched armour, landed next to the Griffin that filled out Kai's command lance and hammered its armour with autocannon and LRMs at point-blank range.

The young MechWarrior – probably no more experienced than the Jade Falcons they had been engaging – returned fire but his PPC shot went wild and only four LRMs scored.

Looks like whoever this is doesn't care about zellbrigen, Kai noted. Another Summoner, two Hellbringers and a Nova followed the heavy Clan OmniMech into the skirmish, one of several spreading across the drop port as the rest of Kai's command engaged the Jade Falcons. Numbers of 'Mechs were about even but the tangle of buildings for administration and storage were an ideal hunting ground for the Elemental battle suits.

"Eleventh Actual, we need our tanks," he reported.

"I'm shepherding them down right now," Trevana assured him. "Two minutes."

Kai kicked his original target in the leg and saw the 'Mech fall. Dropping arms he drilled fire into what was left of the torso. "Stay down, kid."

The one surviving Elemental that had been riding the 'Mech leapt up onto Kai's Rifleman. He ignored it, knowing his arms weren't suited to dealing with something that nimble and besides, Helen had his back.

Sure enough, the Hunchback – Double-O had requested and been assigned another of the design rather than anything newer - spun and fired medium lasers, two pulverising armour on the Elemental and the third going astray. Then the 'Mech's autocannon fired and cluster rounds finished the Elemental, along with a few bits of Legendkiller's armour.

Another salvo finished off the Jade Falcon but it also gave time for the new arrivals to drop the Griffin and push towards Kai in a rough wedge. Although caught in a crossfire between the Battle and Strike lances (the Recon Lance had no place in proximity to the heavies), they seemed intent on pressing in on Kai.

It must be the ghost, he decided. This paint scheme will get me killed!

"You are the one who slew our ilKhan," challenged the Summoner's pilot. "Jaegers! Target the Rifleman and avenge Leo Showers."

Diana backed up, blocking part of the incoming fire, but Kai had to struggle to stay upright as tons of armour were blasted away.

The Summoner seemed to have no such issues, charging closer through a veritable cloud of LRMs from Diana and the lasers and autocannon of Helen's Hunchback and Legendkiller.

The left arm of Legendkiller blew apart as the ammo bin there was penetrated.

Kai thought he'd bitten his tongue but then a ping on his radar alerted him to new arrivals.

"Able Company, back a hundred metres!" he shouted, backpedalling Legendkiller.

The other 'MechWarriors obeyed and the Jade Falcons, now reduced to only six 'Mechs, pressed after them, still fixating on firing into Kai.

Then four hundred ton pallets crashed down amongst and in one case on top of the 'Mechs, thrusters straining to soften the collisions with the ground. That didn't save the unlucky Nova that was landed on, although its wreck did do considerable damage to the tracks of the Demolisher tank inside the pallet.

The Demolisher's turret swung sharply and it discharged both gauss rifles squarely into the rear of one of the still unidentified medium OmniMechs, tearing both sides of the chest apart.

The enemy leader was no more fortunate. One pallet had landed directly behind her and the sides fell away to reveal a Sturmfeur with its turret locked into a forward position for the drop. This brought all four LRM launchers to bear directly on the Summoner's back and flight after flight of LRMs streamed out of them to crash against the shoulders and upper back of the 'Mech.

More than a few of the missiles found the domed cockpit on the right shoulder and Kai saw it filled with fire from behind.

Trevana's factory-fresh Atlas crashed down through the roof of a nearby building, the jump-pack failing only a few metres above the roof. A moment later the Colonel kicked his way out of the side of the hanger, the massive assault 'Mech apparently unfazed by the awkward landing and adding to the crossfire that tore the remaining Jade Falcons apart.

"What's up?" Trevana enquired.

"Thanks for the cavalry," Kai answered, tracking the pallets of more tanks – the Eleventh Lyran Guards had forty-eight heavy tanks and forty-eight hover tanks assigned – coming down all over the spaceport. "Looks like Baker Company need help securing the hangers. Able Company, form on me!"

Trevana chuckled. "Same old same old, I see. Panzers, form up on the runways. We need those clear for the RCTs to bring in their dropships and unload the heavy equipment."

* * *

A/N: In response to the Guest review, the FCN's warship strength is made up of ships from three source. Firstly the six Wolf Dragoons warships, secondly nine hulls salvaged from wrecks dating back to the early Succession Wars or before (not all back in service) and finally four newly constructed hulls. Not all of these survived Operation Revelation.


	15. Book 3, Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

 **Gamora, Twycross**

 **Jade Falcon Occupation Zone**

 **11 April 3052**

The hologram of Zeta Galaxy's commander was standing facing Timur Malthus across the office that was usually used by Elias Crichell. With the Khans on their way back to the Home Worlds, Malthus saw no reason to let the facility go to waste.

Disgrace or no disgrace, he was one of the Falcon's most experienced commanders in fighting the Inner Sphere and Crichell had not been able to stop his former saKhan from taking command of Sigma Galaxy as attrition thinned the upper ranks of the Jade Falcons.

That, however, had also brought other unlikely individuals to prominence, such as Zeta's Galaxy Commander – a man once considered a veritable heretic against the Way of the Clans and now rising to be effectively Malthus' equal.

"There have been no outside attacks on our garrisons so far," reported Aidan Pryde calmly. "What we have seen is a significant upswing in insurgent activity – sabotage of our infrastructure, assassinations of our warriors if they stray far from our bases, delays in delivering requisitioned goods..."

"Nothing new in those individually. The quantity has risen, quiaff?"

"Aff. We have hundreds of incidents each week. If you have any good news about reinforcements, I will bid for their addition – three Clusters is marginal for controlling so many worlds."

"I have very little good news. The AFFC have limited ability to interdict our dropships and remain hesitant to engage our jumpships. Some units have escaped to regroup on Alyina." Malthus shrugged bitterly. "Clusters have become trinaries, Star Captains lead at best a Star or so... The Jade Falcon, Peregrine and Gyrfalcon Galaxies are out of action. We may be able to consolidate the survivors but I doubt the AFFC will grant us the time."

"Ask me for anything but time..." Pryde's lips quirked at the former Khan's quizzical expression. "The words of a long ago general. And what of the Khans?"

He felt his lips curl back, baring his teeth. "Invective. Demands I resolve this for them. Threats against my lineage if I fail."

"I would be impressed if they could do anything productive, more than a month's travel away from the Occupation Zone." The other man leant forwards slightly. "So to recap, we are in command of two – being generous, three – Galaxies of troops defending thirty-four worlds. Our warships are scattered across a thousand light years of supply lines, with barely any of them here in the Occupation Zone. The nearest reinforcements are the four Galaxies on the Home Worlds – by the time they get here this will be over. And besides the AFFC, we're likely to find ourselves under attack from the Burrocks again."

Malthus grimaced. His Galaxy were the ones who had taken the brunt fighting the scavengers. "That seems to be a fair summary."

"It seems to me that we have two possible courses of action – the easy way and the hard way. Firstly to fight a glorious last stand, winning eternal glory for Clan Jade Falcon but effectively dooming our warriors and the civilian castes we brought with us to death or captivity at the hands of the AFFC."

"And secondly?"

"Bargain with them."

Malthus grimaced. "That is not the Way of the Clans."

"We abhor waste, Malthus. Why else do we have traditions like zellbrigen and hegira? Some might say that dying fighting we would waste everything but honour."

Malthus weighed the options. "I am not your designated commander, Pryde. Will you follow my lead on this?"

"Neg." Then Pryde grinned. "Two leaders, two plans. Why not follow them both? You know some of our warriors would mutiny in the face of any compromise so one of us can lead them in a futile counter-attack while the other bargains for the survival of the rest of our Clan here. We do not need to tell the Khans about the second part of the plan."

"They would certainly not approve. But we cannot keep it a secret from them."

"It is unlikely the Steel Vipers will survive to report the deceit and no one has heard from the Nova Cats since we failed to elect an ilKhan. And even if the other Clans report it, all we need is plausible deniability."

"I am not familiar with that phrase."

"It is a tactic used in politics – Elias Crichell is a master of it. So long as he proclaims loudly and often that our Clan's warriors fought to the last 'Mech and the last bullet, his audience will accept it unless they are faced with absolute evidence – hard to obtain from the Home Worlds. Eventually it will be discovered, but most of us will be dead by then and it will no longer be an issue of concern."

Malthus nodded hesitantly. "I have no superior plan," he admitted. "Which plan do you wish to command?"

"You were our Khan, Timur Malthus, and I do not truly think you led our people poorly. You may bid first."

He hesitated. The first path would be in many ways the fulfilment of his life. But he had still sworn the oaths of a Khan, even if he was relieved of duty. Live first for the Clan and then for yourself.

Was he afraid to die?

"It is not an easy choice," Pryde admitted as he saw Malthus' dilemma.

I do not fear death... he realised. Failure, though.

"Perhaps you will think it cowardly of me, Aidan Pryde, but I will choose the easy way. I will bargain with the Federated Commonwealth."

Pryde raised his hand in salute. "Nay, my Khan. My path is the easy one and I thank you for granting it to me. Dying for the Clan is what we have trained for. Living for them will be far harder."

"I will poll my warriors," Malthus decided. "As the Khans have placed responsibility for the war effort upon me I shall reform the Jade Falcon Galaxy around the survivors of the frontline forces and place it under your command. Send all your fire-eaters to join it and I will do likewise, melding the rest of Zeta with my own Clusters to form..."

"Call it the Jade Phoenix Galaxy for now," suggested Aidan. "We can claim that it is to gather our civilians and supplies into a single defensible perimeter."

"The Jade Phoenix Galaxy. I like it."

"In all practical purposes, it will be a new Clan, the Jade Falcons reborn." Aidan nodded solemnly. "Make it a legacy worthy of that."

.o0o.

 **Imperial Palace, New Samarkand**

 **Galedon District, Draconis Combine**

 **16 April 3052**

Grey had crept up through Theodore Kurita's hair as the Clans consumed the Draconis Combine. Since the death of two of his children – and his father, although no one ever dared mention that – on Luthien, the Coordinator's hair had become as grey as steel.

There was no other frailty to him though and he was more often found striding through the ministries and military command centres as they completed the transition to governing House Kurita's empire from New Samarkand.

One division of the government that required no such readjustment was the Internal Security Force. Their headquarters had not left the ancestral home of the House they served when the capital moved to Luthien during the early twenty-seventh century and thus it had no need to relocate now.

"My first question is this," he told Subhash Indrahar. "Do the Wolves bargain in good faith? They are betraying their fellow Clans."

"We do not have a great of information on the internal politics of the Clans," warned the wheelchair-bound spymaster. "However, the information from Hanse Davion indicates that the Wolves were the centre of opposition to the invasion taking place at all, and interrogation of prisoners suggests that they were to an extent strong-armed into participating by their rivals. It is not conclusive, but the possibility exists that the Wolf leaders may wish to be done with the matter."

"They cannot be said to have done badly out of the matter." The Coordinator considered. "If they do continue to advance on Terra they will encounter our garrisons facing the Isle of Skye. I cannot remove those, so deception would not profit them."

"It could be that they intend to focus their efforts against the Federated Commonwealth. Offering you a treaty would simply allow them to focus on that advance with one of their flanks secured."

"Possible," agreed Theodore. "If that is the case then I would offer them the same terms as those they offer with regard to the Smoke Jaguars and the Diamond Sharks: I will not help them, but nor will I hinder them."

"That may bring us into conflict with House Davion."

"When you come down to it, Subhash, I owe them nothing. All help we have offered each other has been paid for in full. If I accept this treaty I will share the details with New Avalon as a courtesy – if they have a similar treaty then I may at least expect them to reciprocate."

"Truly it is said that an honourable adversary is far less of a threat than a dishonourable friend."

"Hai. And while Davion's honour is not that of a samurai, it is nonetheless honour and may be counted on. If his son survives the Capellan courts I must wonder if his own honour will be as steadfast."

"A matter under investigation, my lord. The interdiction of the Federated Commonwealth has slowed our transmission of information but agents are in place."

Theodore nodded thoughtfully. "Most efficient."

"I suspect that you favour this proposed treaty."

"In general, yes. Details are another matter. I would prefer a more favourable number of worlds restored to the Combine." Theodore rubbed his chin. "Perhaps it could be... implied to their emissary that the regiments being massed for operations against the Smoke Jaguars' flanks are in fact positioned to strike at worlds that fell to the Ghost Bears."

"It seems to me, my lord, that were the emissary brought to Benjamin that the impression of significant troop strength could be displayed. It is a suitable world for both military assembly and also diplomatic discussions."

"See to it, Subhash. I will appoint my son to the negotiations."

"Lord Minoru? His youth may make him a less than ideal choice."

"The Clans place less weight that we do on seniority, my old teacher. And while Minoru has trained in the martial arts, he is not seen as a warrior in the image of his brother. To have won worlds from the Wolves in negotiation will elevate my heir's reputation."

"The pen is not always mightier than the sword."

"We must all begin somewhere, smiling one. And besides, I have no heir besides him – unless you count Sakamoto."

Indrahar hid all sign of surprise.

"Yes," the Coordinator confirmed. "I know that you located my bastard son. I do not disapprove – it is always wise to have a reserve. You may prepare him but promise nothing. Minoru is the heir and only if he fails will I acknowledge another."

"All will be as you command, my lord."

Theodore turned sharply at a corner but waited politely for the spymaster to turn his motorised wheelchair. "What news has reached you of the Federated Commonwealth's military position?"

"Unfortunately, very little due to the communication issues. What information we have discusses the Steel Vipers and the Jade Falcons. ComStar is not mentioned as a concern – Hanse Davion has established an organisation named Federated Communications to handle HPGs under his control. It is unknown as yet how secure use of them will be for my agents. Overall, it is most probable that Operation Revelation has ended without serious impact on the Commonwealth's long term prospects."

"And no mention of these Nova Cats?"

"None. In this context I believe we may consider that good news for the Federated Commonwealth."

"True. Your opinion of Demona Aziz's overtures?"

Formally, Indrahar had not been briefed on the matter. Not that that was a significant issue. "She is a fanatic in Waterly's mould and considers herself much more intelligent than she actually is. As Waterly holds similarly presumptuous views of ComStar's importance normally they would be allies, but Aziz has the cunning to see that those views will not prosper openly for now."

"As an alternative to this Federated Communications, an organisation led by Aziz would be no better or worse than ComStar as it stood – perhaps slightly preferable in lacking Terra but there would remain the issue of communicating with the Free Worlds League – the Terran Corridor is somewhat wider than what I understand to be the maximum range of an HPG."

"The technical issues would be easily solved with repeater stations. The matter is political – Hanse Davion would only need to find the stations to have his hand around the throat of such communications." Theodore sighed. "Alas, we lack the technological capacity to support such a network on our own."

"We may lack the capability but the Clans do not." Indrahar clutched the controls of his wheelchair. "We have plans as a matter of course to seize control of all HPG stations and the Clans have expelled ComStar from their worlds, meaning that they now man them themselves. I can arrange teams to accompany your regiments into Bjarred. Once we have their technicians... well. One trains ten, ten train a hundred and that hundred a thousand."

"If it works then the Voice of the Dragon will take control of all our HPGs. And if it fails," the Coordinator shrugged. "Who will know we attempted it, save for some dead Smoke Jaguars and your agents?"

They shared expressions of serene confidence as they walked out into more public and sunlit portions of the palace.

.o0o.

 **Katani Nature Reserve, Apolakkia**

 **Tamar March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **9 May 3052**

The nature reserve had changed little since Timur Malthus had fought Perigard Zalman here almost a year and a half ago. By all reports Zalman had died bravely on Sudeten, destroying many AFFC 'Mechs as he fought a rear-guard action to let the Vipers extract the Triarch Keshik and a single frontline galaxy formed from the remains of their Alpha and Beta Galaxy from their defeat there.

That, at least, was the spin that Natalie Breen put on the matter when she negotiated transit rights for her battered touman. She had led five galaxies into the Inner Sphere and fought for only ten worlds. Despite this and many replacement 'Mechs and personnel, she had less than two Galaxies with her on the retreat. No civilians, of course.

Those were interned on Apolakkia, where the AFFC had found most of them.

And so, Aidan Pryde had brought the Jade Falcon Galaxy there. It suited his intentions to give the warriors something to fight for, not merely against.

"Marshall Zellner, do you stand ready to defend your claim?"

The radio crackled. "Aye," the woman agreed. "A brigade of MechWarriors are between you and the camp. Break them and you can take the prisoners with you. Fail and we get that shiny warship of yours up there."

In truth, the warship – the only one still in the Occupation Zone - was an ancient and repeatedly reconditioned Aegis-class cruiser that might even predate the colonisation of Apolakkia. But if the AFFC over-valued it, then that merely served Aidan's purposes.

"Aff," he agreed. "That is our bargain."

"I don't know if you test-tube warriors believe in God, but it lacks a few minutes to the hour. If you want a moment to commend your souls to him, I suggest we start this on the dot of noon."

"That is acceptable, so long as you spheroids can read the clock accurately." Aidan knew the gibe was petty but his entire Galaxy was listening – as was Timur Malthus and by extension the Khans. And he needed to both raise his force's spirits and make this look convincing.

Zellner cut the channel and he turned his attention back to the Galaxy. They were a mis-matched bunch and he would have preferred a few more weeks to whip them into shape but those were weeks he didn't have. The Steel Vipers had been crushed in a single wave of attacks before the AFFC turned their attention back to the Falcons and they were already closing on Timur Malthus' headquarters on Twycross. There was only a limited amount of time before the other Galaxy Commander had to open negotiations with the Commonwealth and it was up to Aidan to make it clear that the price of defeating even one Jade Falcon Galaxy would be one that the Federated Commonwealth was reluctant to pay.

"Jade Falcons!" he called. "We did not come to the Inner Sphere to run or to stand on the defensive. We came here to crush the Successor Lords and free the people from their tyranny. Before us now are thousands of Steel Viper civilians taken into bondage by House Steiner. Behind us is the legacy of Hazen and of the Star League. Between us are only three regiments."

He paused. "My kinsmen, my fellow Falcons... they are mercenaries. The AFFC weighs us so lightly that they think lucrewarriors are our equals."

The line of 'Mechs and Elementals rippled as warriors involuntarily moved their controls, overcome with the emotion of the moment.

"There is no surrender and there is no defeat for us now," Aidan Pryde declared as the last few seconds ticked away. "There is only the honour road and it leads us forward to victory. Falcons... march!"

He walked his Summoner forwards and his improvised Keshik – the handful of survivors from the Falcon Guards, led by his old falconer Joanna – followed.

Then, like a wave spreading through the ranks, the Talon Cluster – pieced together around warriors from the Fourth, Ninth and Twelfth Talon Clusters – moved out and flanking them on either side the Velite and Regular Clusters moved to join him. He hadn't bothered with numbers for them – like the Talons they were patched together units and after all they weren't going to survive the day. Only the Striker clusters which now moved up onto the flanks retained numbers – the 109th Cluster from his own Zeta Galaxy and the Ninety-Fourth from the Peregrine Galaxy, and that simply to avoid confusion.

"Nice speech," Joanna growled on a private channel as her own Summoner effortlessly matched pace with Aidan's. "You're a disgrace of a warrior but you might have a future as a politician."

"Like Crichell?" asked Aidan wryly. "No thanks. I'd almost rather give up my bloodname."

"Stravag!" she screamed and started to pull ahead.

He laughed, wondering if Joanna would ever guess the truth. Perhaps not even if she survived. She was stubborn, cruel and in her own way brilliant but she was almost completely innocent of any hint of deception. Then he accelerated to keep her from taking the lead. "Come on, you slugs!" he demanded of the Galaxy. "Do you want to live forever?"

More than two hundred 'Mechs pursued him.

.o0o.

 **Gamora, Twycross**

 **Jade Falcon Occupation Zone**

 **10 May 3052**

"We broke them," the warrior on the screen confirmed bluntly. "And the surats kept their word – we have been able to shuttle the civilians up to the Black Talon. But they fought well and our losses are... heavy."

Malthus nodded. "I understand, Star Captain. Matters go much the same here so my orders to you are to take the Black Talon with your command – yes, you are in command now – and the civilians, and make for the Home Worlds. If any of the Jade Phoenix Galaxy can withdraw, we will join you there."

"We can come to your support."

"Neg. We are down to our last resorts." He remembered what Aidan Pryde had said a month before. "Do not trust the Burrocks or the other Clans – make directly for Ironhold and tell the Khans that we fought to the last."

It would not be accurate to say that Star Captain Joanna looked choked up with emotion – she was not that kind of warrior. Instead she saluted crisply before Malthus ended the transmission.

"Is that it?" he asked the technician.

"Aff."

"Good. Then send the signal to all our ships – they are to delete navigational data that could lead the Inner Sphere to the Home Worlds."

He turned to his screen and engaged privacy measures. This was his third time recording the transmission to be sent to Tharkad. Each time it had lacked something.

The camera activated and Timur looked directly into it. "I am Timur Malthus, commander of the Jade Phoenix Galaxy. Greetings to Archon Steiner and First Prince Davion."

"I believe the recent battle on Apolakkia may have reacquainted you with the price that can be demanded of your troops in facing a Galaxy of my Clan's warriors who are not caught off-guard and who are not wearied by unending months of action."

"With Aidan Pryde's example to follow, my warriors will fight all the harder, extracting a final bloody price for you to reclaim the worlds we have taken. Yet such a bloodbath may be avoided for both of us."

"For the sake of the lives that would be lost or ruined in such a campaign – a campaign to be fought amid the homes of people you call your own – I offer an alternative."

"I offer you the conditional surrender of my Galaxy and of all other Jade Falcons still within the Inner Sphere."

"The conditions I speak of are simple. I will not leave my followers leaderless and homeless, to descend into being refugees or forced to become mercenaries. I therefore require that my warriors – suitably reorganised – be permitted to swear fealty to you as units of the AFFC."

"Secondly, for those of my people who are neither warriors nor directly supporting our touman, I propose that we shall create a corporation, under your own laws, and that all improvements wrought upon these worlds shall be considered the assets of that corporation. Thus we will provide employment and security to my people and no further burden upon you."

He paused and then leaned into the camera, the forced conciliatory smile he had worn slipping away. "And if you refuse this offer, then to hell with both of you!"

Malthus cut the camera and replayed the video. Yes, this was better. Not perfect... but like a battle plan, perfect was not worth the wait if good enough was ready. "Maybe just one more try."

His intercom buzzed. "Sir, we have multiple jump signatures. They don't identify as friendly."

On the other hand, perhaps I have no time. "Technician, I'm sending you a file. I want you to transmit this to the Apolakkia HPG with instructions to relay them to Tharkad for the personal attention of Archon Steiner."

"Sir?"

"This might be the most important message ever to pass through your hands." Malthus sent her the data file and also copied it onto a data solid. "I'm on my way down – if that hasn't been sent by the time I get there then heads will roll."

He headed for the door and made his way down the stairs of the tower. The building had once been the home of Twycross' governor, a stylised castle in an ancient style. The upper most level below it broke into multiple towers was a high ceilinged hall now full of computers and communication consoles.

In the middle, anachronistic given the wooden floor and the ceiling timbers, a holographic display showed him the entire Twycross star system. Far out on the fringes of the display was Jonah's Reach, his best token in negotiations – thus far the Federated Commonwealth hadn't managed to duplicate the critical systems for battle armour and the self-sealing capacity was likely one of the biggest stumbling blocks.

Of more concern were the icons at the zenith jump point. An even dozen jumpships.

"Old ships, sir. And not all of them well-maintained. They're carrying heavy dropship loads but they're still too far out to identify them."

Originally Twycross had had a full suite of relay satellites to transmit closer views of ships at either of the main jump points and even some proximity points. They had been destroyed – in retrospect for nothing but target practise by bored crews – during the invasion and not yet replaced.

"Have you challenged them?"

"Yes sir. No reply."

Malthus nodded and then looked over at the technician responsible for interstellar communications. "Well?"

"We've just had confirmation from the HPG, sir," she said in relief. "It's been sent."

"Good."

Malthus looked at the display. Assuming that it was an invasion force and assuming approximately a regiment per jumpship then he was looking at no less than a full Regimental Combat Team incoming – possibly more.

With a full Galaxy at his disposal, there was every chance he could repel such an attack. But the Jade Phoenix Galaxy was spread across six worlds and one Cluster against a Regimental Combat Team would be a long-shot unless they were completely lacking modern weapons and led by an idiot – chances were about even on one or the other but both wasn't at all likely.

One of the technicians looked up. "Sir, they have identified themselves as a task force of the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth. They ask what forces we propose to defend the planet with."

"I thought as much." Timur Malthus lifted a microphone. "Transmit in reply."

"You're live on three, sir. One, two…" The man held up three fingers.

"Inbound AFFC Task Force, this is Timur Malthus of the Jade Phoenix Galaxy. At this time I am the commander of all Jade Falcons remaining in the Inner Sphere. I must inform you that earlier today, an offer of conditional surrender of my command was transmitted to your superiors on Tharkad."

"I gather I should not expect you to take my word for this. It will take several days for you to reach orbit. By then we may have a reply. Until that time, I propose a ceasefire. We will not contest your transit to Twycross or engage you in battle unless you approach within seventy-five thousand kilometres of the surface. If you wish, I can have your messages sent by HPG to any system in range."

"If our terms are not accepted or if you elect to continue your attack… we will engage your forces with all units at my disposal. Malthus out."

When he looked around he saw that every Clansman in the room was looking at him. The technician responsible for HPG communications even seemed to be crying.

"Sir, the Jade Falcon Galaxy fought almost to the last man."

"That's correct." Malthus folded his arms behind his back. "His galaxy was hand-picked to include warriors who would rather die than retreat or surrender. They rescued over two thousand civilians and I salute them for this. The Jade Phoenix Galaxy is protecting over fourteen thousand Jade Falcon civilians – more than we can evacuate – and we cannot withstand the AFFC indefinitely without supplies we do not have. I chose my warriors for those with the moral courage to accept this fate."

He looked around. "Carry on."

Then he walked back towards his office, wondering how long it would be before one of his warriors tried to kill him.

.o0o.

 **CSJS Streaking Mist**

 **Deep Periphery**

 **21 May 3052**

The grand council chamber aboard the warship was empty except for Sarah Weaver, Brandon Howell and the holographic images of thirty other Khans.

"How can you lose an entire Clan?" Dagmar Lahiri, the Loremaster for the current session was hundreds of light years away, in the Hall of Khans on Strana Mechty. "Khan Crichell, your occupation zone is adjacent to theirs."

Elias Crichell sighed reluctantly. "That is… not currently the case."

There were baffled looks and Ulric Kerensky chuckled. "To spare Khan Crichell's embarrassment, I must make the Grand Council aware that the Federated Commonwealth has launched a major counter-offensive. My last information was that Clan Steel Viper was in full retreat and the Falcon garrisons had consolidated their forces into two Galaxies and were launching a vigorous attack to recover captive Clan civilians. It's likely that Clan Nova Cat are also under heavy pressure and the HPG relays between them and the Home Worlds could well be out of action."

"Thank you, Khan Kerensky." Lahiri touched his screen. "I find it interesting that you are transmitting from your Occupation Zone while most of the other Khans have already departed from the Inner Sphere. You are aware that the Grand Council is to assemble in the Hall of Khans to elect a new ilKhan, quiaff? The penalties for refusing a summons to the Grand Council is severe."

"I don't appear to have received a formal summons, actually. An oversight by the previous Loremaster, I'm sure." Ulric didn't need to look over at Brandon Howell – there were plenty of accusing looks. "And while Khan Breen and – has some misfortune occurred to Khan Zalman?"

The stocky, balding man next to Natalie Breen stood. "I am Christopher Ahmed, Clan Steel Viper's saKhan. As Khan Kerensky is no doubt aware, our departure was delayed by operational demands. In the interim, Khan Zalman fell in battle."

"Your Clan and the Jade Falcons appear to have taken the brunt of the attacks." Lahiri touched a control. "With the approval of the Khans, perhaps we should discuss the matter."

"I have no objection," agreed Ulric before the other Khans could speak. "After all, while the leaders of the Nova Cats may be absent, surely their Home world enclaves are easily contactable."

"Not so much as you might think. Would you like to begin with your own status report?"

A map lit up in the middle of the Chamber as data was relayed from Rasalhague, through dozens of relays to the Hall of Khans and then back across the light years to each individual Khan. It was a remarkable feat of data management and transmission – although the Khans usually only remarked on it when it failed.

"As you can see, our original Occupation Zone remains intact. However, the counter-attacks which Khan Tseng advised us of at the time Clan Ghost Bear withdrew from the Inner Sphere have continued and with dozens of worlds to occupy and bring under our control, the frontline was been pushed back more than thirty light years before we could stabilize the situation."

There was a certain smugness about the expressions on the faces of Laurie Tseng and Karl Bourjon at the admission.

"Given the dense concentration of inhabited systems in this part of the Inner Sphere, the DCMS was able to bypass strongpoints and Clan Ghost Bear had had little time to indoctrinate their new population." Ulric shrugged dismissively. "Pending decisions regarding the future of the Invasion, we have suspended offensive operations and are concentrating on integrating our population into Clan Wolf."

"And how long do you expect that to take?"

"Our occupation zone includes ninety-two worlds and the total population is approximately one hundred and seventy-eight billion. It is not a small job, but we are quite determined. Based on the history of the Pentagon campaign, I would expect twenty to thirty years."

"How many billions?" asked Malavai Fletcher in a strangled voice. His own Clan, despite having dramatically expanded their holdings at the expense of the invaders, could boast no more than a hundred and thirty million civilians.

"One hundred and seventy-eight. It is just an estimate," Ulric added. "Not all of the worlds we control had good records."

"Perhaps we should move on to the reports of the other Clans?"

"We have not come under counter-attack," Barbara Sennet advised. "We suspended operations upon the death of the ilKhan and like Clan Wolf we are consolidating our hold on our Occupation Zone. We control thirteen worlds – mostly disappointingly undeveloped for worlds near the heart of the Draconis Combine. The total population is perhaps twenty-five billion."

She held up her hand to prevent any other Khan from beginning their report. "Also we have received HPG transmissions from worlds still part of the Draconis Combine, reporting the collapse of several other Clans' occupation zones and suggesting that we can avoid being subjected to such counter-attacks if we swear fealty to House Kurita. Until Khan Kerensky's remarks I had intended to ignore this as propaganda."

"There have been counter-attacks on our Occupation Zone," admitted Khan Weaver grimly. "With our frontline forces engaged in operations near Benjamin, the DCMS has landed regiments on several worlds near to the Periphery. Combined with insurgent activities, our garrison units have been overwhelmed in some cases."

Which was putting a brave face on the loss of worlds as deep inside the Occupation Zone as Bjarred and McAlister, Howell mused. It wasn't clear how Theodore Kurita had found the troops and shipping for this operation as well as seizing back dozens of worlds from the Ghost Bears and Wolves, but almost a third of the Smoke Jaguar worlds were at best contested at this time.

"We control more than fifty worlds and I have no specific data on their populations," Weaver finished.

"Approximately a hundred and twenty billion, before the counter-attack – I would estimate perhaps one hundred billion on worlds we hold securely," offered Howell. For a given value of securely.

"Well that deals with three of the invasion corridors." Lahiri turned his gaze to the Jade Falcon and Steel Viper Khans. "And your corridor?"

Breen pursed her lips but said nothing. Her saKhan shot her a look and when it was evident she would not speak, he placed his hands flat on the desk before him. "Clan Steel Viper has withdrawn from the Inner Sphere. Losses among our forces have been unsupportable."

He raised his voice over the other Khans. "If any of you feel you can do better, we will gladly cede our rights as an invading Clan to whoever wishes to try. This entire matter was ill-conceived. IlKhan Showers and his advisors grossly underestimated both the Inner Sphere's resolve and the forces and preparations needed for Operation Revival to succeed."

"Before any Khan takes Khan Ahmed up on his offer, I would like to hear from Clan Jade Falcon. Your report?"

Both Khans spoke at once, rendering them indecipherable until Elias Crichell stabbed at a control and Chistu's voice was cut off. "Our last report -"

"Loremaster!" shouted Cassius N'Buta. "I call for censure of Khan Crichell."

"What!?"

"State your case, Khan N'Buta."

"The Martial Code states that all Khans are equal in the Grand Council. For one Khan to silence another by sabotaging their transmission is unbefitting one of our number."

Crichell's eyes went wide as he realised his gaffe. "I acted solely to present information clearly." He restored Chistu's full access immediately but the damage had evidently been done.

Rather than speaking, Chistu stroked his beard and eyed his fellow Jade Falcon speculatively.

"Khan N'Buta's argument is in line with Grand Council regulations," confirmed Lahiri reluctantly. "Does any Khan disagree?"

Natalie Breen looked up. "I confirm the Loremaster's finding," she declared. "Who amongst us would be muzzled? I call for a vote of censure on Elias Crichell."

Unsurprisingly, the vote was one-sided – every junior Khan voted in favour of censure of course and of their seniors only Lynn McKenna and Malavai Fletcher voted with Crichell against the measure, with the Nova Cats logged as abstaining.

"The vote is twenty-nine to three. Khan Crichell, it is the right of each Clan to choose its own Khans. It is the right of this Council to declare a Khan unfit and deprive them of their authority and vote. If you wish to call for a Trial of Refusal at ten to one odds…"

Crichell was slumped into his seat. With none of his usual vigour he reached out and wordlessly cut off his camera.

The remaining Jade Falcon Khan inclined his head. "My understanding of our Martial Code is that my Clan's Loremaster will substitute for Khan Crichell while he stands censured."

"That is correct, Khan Chistu."

He started typing on a keyboard that was just out of view of the holo-camera. "I am summoning Kael Pershaw to attend upon the Grand Council. In the meantime, do you wish me to deliver our report? Our Loremaster is fully informed as to our status."

"You may proceed."

"Khan Ulric is correct that our invasion force consolidated into two Galaxies. The Jade Phoenix Galaxy, under the command of Timur Malthus, took a defensive position around our civilian population within the Invasion Corridor. The Jade Falcon Galaxy launched a counterattack on the Federated Commonwealth in order to recover thousands of Steel Viper civilians abandoned by their Clan's warriors."

"I am proud to report that the Jade Falcon Galaxy was victorious and that we are escorting your civilians home, Khan Breen. Regrettably, just as Khan Zalman died defending your retreat, Galaxy Commander Pryde and all his senior officers died rescuing your personnel. Our last report from the Inner Sphere was that the Jade Phoenix Galaxy was being over-run and a single warship carrying civilians and less than a Cluster of our touman has made erratic reports since that time as it follows our supply chains back towards the Home Worlds."

"There were no abandoned Steel Vipers."

Eyes turned to Khan Breen, even her saKhan directing incredulous expressions towards her.

"All Steel Vipers were escorted from the Inner Sphere or died there. I do not know who it is you claim to have rescued, Chistu, but we disclaim them."

Chistu arched an eyebrow but before he could respond, a new figure appeared next to them – as much machine as man. "Honoured Khans, I am informed you summoned me?"

"Ah… yes." Lahiri tried to avoid looking at the man. "Khan Crichell has earned the censure of the Grand Council and stands relieved of his responsibilities. Until such time as a new Khan is chosen by the Jade Falcons or the censure is lifted, you must exercise his vote here and his authority within the Clan."

"I see." Pershaw gave them no other reaction.

"I have little else to report," Chistu continued. "Although since Khan Breen tells me that no Steel Vipers were left behind in the Inner Sphere and I would not presume to question her knowledge of her Clan's affairs, I suppose that I must now identify who these civilians we have on-board are. If no one else claims them, we Jade Falcons will certainly welcome them."

Lahiri looked around the chamber. "My Khans, it is not easy to summarize such divergent reports. However, I will do my best. Seven Clans were committed to invade the Inner Sphere under the banner of Operation Revival. Of these, three Clans have been forced to withdraw with severe casualties to their touman. Three Clans report themselves to have strong footholds but it seems that for the most part they are not in a position to press on. And finally, one Clan's forces have disappeared and their status is uncertain."

Silence filled the chamber and then Khan N'Buta rose to his feet. "In the face of these reversals it is clear that we must defer further invasion of the Inner Sphere at this time."

There were weak murmurs of protest, quickly hushed by the approval of several Khans.

Ulric Kerensky rose. "I must concur. I propose that the remaining invading Clans should focus upon holding their current occupation zones, insofar as that is possible. Three other Clans have taken worlds on the fringes of the Inner Sphere and will share in that burden. The remaining eleven – or perhaps ten Clans, we really must find out what is going on with the Nova Cats – must rebuild and prepare if they wish to join us in the Inner Sphere – something that will take at least ten years."

The room exploded in shouts. While Sarah Weaver rose to her feet and added her voice to the cacophony, Howell looked around the room. Vandervahn Chistu was sitting back and watching without comment – probably hoping to avoid similar predation. Simple mathematics suggested that Clan Jade Falcon's touman was probably in no stronger state than that of the Vipers.

And Ulric Kerensky and Charles Dinour were also remaining silent, their faces calm.

Our oldest rivals, Howell thought. And we have a long shared border now in the Inner Sphere. I think I might be better off returning there – what most of the Council seem to have missed is that with the Invasion dead we have little need to elect an ilKhan. And even if we do, it will not be a Smoke Jaguar.

.o0o.

 **Clan Nova Cat Headquarters, Chara III (Pacifica)**

 **Skye March, Lyran Commonwealth**

 **31 May 3052**

Chara III was small, wet and made Sevren Leroux's joints hurt. The only real advantages the world had were obscurity and proximity to Terra. If anyone looked for a military concentration in this area then worlds like Thorin, New Earth or Denebola looked much more likely.

Despite being five years his elder, Natasha Kerensky looked a decade younger. He wondered if she felt the years at all. Perhaps, like so many others, age was simply too intimidated to try to obstruct her.

"General. What brings you here?"

"Terra. And ComStar."

"I realise you hold the Clans in low esteem but I can cope with words of three or more syllables, General Kerensky."

"You heard what ComStar did to Outreach?"

"Not in detail, no."

"We had two regiments there – and our dependants. Everyone who could carry a weapon fought to get the non-combatants out. And only ten percent of them made it. ComStar are on Terra and you're going after them." She gestured towards herself. "I want in."

"I appreciate the decision by the Federated Commonwealth to allow us sole domain over Terra, but bringing an AFFC unit with us would suggest we are somewhat partial to your rulers."

"Then we go in under Nova Cat banners. I have what's left of us formed into two Clusters. We have enough captured Elemental suits to be properly balanced... hell, half our armoured infantry were Nova Cat abtakha to begin with."

Leroux drummed his fingers on the desk. It would be a long time before the remaining Nova Cat fighting forces arrived and it would be important to take Mars and Venus with minimal losses to preserve his forces for the main operation on Terra. Adding another two Clusters was tempting...

"It could not be a deception," he observed. "You would be absorbed into the Nova Cats and there would be no going back."

She nodded. "Anyone who isn't willing to do that, I let go. The AFFC will find them places in other units."

"I take it then you have the approval of your current superiors."

"I have written permission from Marshal of the Armies Morgan Hasek-Davion. Given ComStar killed most of his family, he'd be here too if Hanse would let him."

"That would definitely be a step too far." The Khan considered the prospect. "I will not deny that another two Clusters could be useful, although despite the fact you tested for Galaxy Commander among the Wolves and are a General of the Federated Commonwealth, you will only have the rank of Star Colonel unless you earn further promotion." He snorted. "Which would be hard for any abtakha, but particularly for you. You won't be a very good Nova Cat, I suspect."

"You might need the shaking up."

"Perhaps." He eyed her for a moment and then summoned his aide.

"My Khan?"

"Yes." Sevren pointed at Natasha Kerensky. "Santin, I would like you to take possession of her for the Clan."

"Whoa!" Kerensky called out, diving out of her chair just ahead of a tackle by the stocky Elemental. "I didn't know you Nova Cats were – dammit -" the young man had sprung up and was boxing her into a corner of the room. "- so forward." She followed the remark up with a kick to Santin's groin, which missed as he twisted and took the blow unflinchingly to his upper thigh, catching her ankle and yanking her off her feet. "Sonofabitch!"

"I have no Wolf ancestry I am aware of," Santin replied, catching her other ankle and twisting.

She jack-knifed, going for his solar plexus with one hand. Spinning, the young man threw her against the double doors of the room – which broke.

From Natasha's groan as she struggled upright, she was definitely feeling her age. Santin pounced on her, grabbed both arms and forced them into a lock, securing both wrists with one hand and locking the other on her collar when she tried to twist and bite him.

With a not inconsiderable effort, the Elemental marched Kerensky back into the office and forced her to bend over the desk, face down. "My Khan, she is the Clan's."

Leroux waited a long minute, looking into the Black Widow's angry eyes.

"Yes, I believe you are correct. You can release her now."

The Elemental let go and prudently took several paces back.

Natasha took several deep breathes. "I suppose that was necessary?"

"A Trial of Possession can hardly be disputed by the Clan Council. Besides, Santin is due his chance at a Bloodname soon. Defeating the legendary Black Widow in single combat will only enhance his reputation."

"Which Bloodhouse?"

"West."

She nodded. "Figures. They always were tough bastards."

"I assume the... First and Second Nova Cat Dragoons will arrive promptly, quiaff?" enquired Leroux.

"They're on Outreach, waiting for my signal."

The Khan nodded. "Give them the signal, Star Colonel. Santin, arrange new doors for me and new quarters for Star Colonel Kerensky."

"Of course, Khan Leroux."

"Oh, and Star Captain?" Natasha Kerensky smiled and it wasn't sweetly. "Given how you bent me over there, be in my quarters at 22:00 today."

"Uh..."

Leroux cracked a smile of satisfaction. So the boy did have a sense of self-preservation. Not that he should overindulge it. "You heard the Star Colonel, Star Captain. I release you from your other duties this evening. Although I do suggest you visit the medical bay first, Kerensky. Going through the doors like that probably did your ribs no favours..."

.o0o.

 **Warlord's Palace, Enzo**

 **Pesht, Smoke Jaguar Occupation Zone**

 **12 June 3052**

The Combine's envoy was a very young man, Howell thought. He didn't move like a Smoke Jaguar warrior, but in the three days he had been here, observers had reported that he had spent hours in dojo, practising a variety of martial arts.

And his brother, after all, had shamed the Smoke Jaguars more than once. This was not a bloodline to be trifled with. Then again, perhaps that was the least of lessons to be learned from the Invasion.

"Khan Howell."

Howell returned the bow, something he had practised, and gestured to the low table. Sitting Combine style wasn't something he enjoyed, but as with the bow giving small concessions to their ways was a small price to pay if the Clan came out on top in the end. "Lord Kurita." The title was non-specific and the use of a family name... another compromise and one Khan Weaver would likely not have made. It was as well she would be continuing to the Home Worlds to defend the Smoke Jaguars holdings there. "I trust that you have been made welcome."

"Your officers have been entirely hospitable." Minoru sat opposite him. "I have not had the opportunity to visit Pesht before, although my parents' visit was memorable, I understand."

The attempt at provocation was obvious and the Khan elected not to pounce on it. "I am surprised you had not come here. Pesht was an important world of the Draconis Combine, was it not?"

"It was largely eclipsed by Luthien, where I grew up." Minoru accepted the reminder that Pesht was a Jaguar conquest equably. "And in accompanying my father on visits to the other significant worlds, I have visited Galedon, Benjamin and Dieron." Worlds that lay beyond the Jaguar's reach, at least for now.

"I understand that by Combine custom we should discuss inconsequentialities for some time," Howell observed. "However, not being an expert on your etiquette, perhaps you could advise me as to how much time we are expected to waste?"

"Star Captain Fetladral and I spent an hour discussing Go, before bringing up matters of state," Minoru replied. "Do you play?"

So the Wolves have come to terms with the Combine. Damn. "I am not familiar with the game. I understand you practise kendo – the sword remains in use amongst us."

"That would please my instructors," the younger man responded and the two allowed the discussion to diverge into such matters for some time until, as if by some internal clock, Minoru brought up the subject that had brought them here.

"I understand that you have been appointed by the Khans of Clan Diamond Shark to speak for them."

"In order to simplify matters, it has been agreed I will negotiate for all Clan forces in this invasion corridor." His being the only Khan present in the corridor made that simpler to agree upon. "If we come to an agreement then it will only be confirmed if both Clan Councils assent."

"Just it must be ratified by the Coordinator." Minoru drew himself up. "My initial offer is thus – withdraw in peace from all worlds held by the Draconis Combine as of the start of 3050. In exchange, we will permit freedom of passage for your shipping to carry this out, demand no further indemnity of you and provide reasonable logistical assistance in your departure."

Howell coughed and then recovered himself. Kurita could not be serious! He looked at the younger man and then realised that he had simply opened with the highest possible bid. Very well then. "I must decline your proposal, Lord Kurita. My own initial offer is that the Combine surrender to our two Clans, with its worlds and warriors to be divided between us. In honour of your house's long history and valiant conduct, we will petition the Grand Council to create the Bloodname of Kurita so that your descendants may continue to rule over these worlds."

Minoru bowed deeply from his kneeling position. "You do us much honour, Khan Howell. However, I must decline your offer. Perhaps we may find some middle ground between these positions on which we can come to agreement."

"I would not rule out such a possibility, Lord Kurita." His legs were going to sleep, Howell realised. This was going to be purest hell. "The complete withdrawal of either my own Clan or Clan Diamond Shark from the Inner Sphere is beyond my power to promise. I can, however, offer to refrain from further conquests for five years, so long as the DCMS withdraws from those worlds of our Occupation they have recently moved to contest."

"I do not believe five years is a particularly generous period of truce and I see no reason to believe that the DCMS cannot hold or even extend the number of worlds reclaimed from your clutches. Inasmuch as Clan Diamond Shark has taken few of our worlds, we could cede their current occupation zone in perpetuity and open trade routes with them so they are not cut off from their home worlds. Your Clan, however, must withdraw to those worlds you currently hold of Garstedt and Albiero Prefectures and both Clans will swear never to ever wage war upon the Combine again, no matter the circumstances."

Howell laughed. "Khan Sennet might convince her Council to accept those terms except for the last. Let us be realistic, Lord Kurita. No pact can truly bind either of our peoples for all time. Nor would my own Clan accept that we alone should sacrifice to bring our conflict to an end."

He shifted slightly. "In principle, for the Diamond Sharks to retain their worlds and pay some form of – what did you call it, an indemnity? - while Clan Smoke Jaguar releases some of the worlds we have taken would be feasible. Withdrawing to barely a dozen worlds is ridiculous though."

Minoru Kurita looked him in the eye and Howell hid a shiver. There was something of the uncanny about this man – and he will likely follow his father in command of the Combine. Perhaps we should have spared his brother.

"My father might be persuaded to be more generous in the matter of relinquishing worlds were you to surrender three points," he said at last.

"You have my attention."

"The warship Saber Cat, in recompense for the bombardment of Turtle Bay."

Howell considered. While a warship was a substantial investment there were more vessels in naval caches located in the Home Worlds. Reactivating one as a replacement would not be impossible. "That I can agree to."

"Pesht." Minoru paused and when there was no reply he finished the list: "And Luthien."

"If you withdraw from the other contested worlds then I may..."

"No." Without moving, Minoru's presence dominated the room. "You need this agreement more than we do, Khan Howell. We can reach a private peace with Clan Diamond Shark if need be. The DCMS can press on against your flanks and we can repeat this conversation when we hold every world from Richmond to Cyrenaica. Or we can come to terms now."

"And can you maintain that pressure?" challenged Howell. "The Federated Commonwealth is no longer faced with active war. How long can your father keep his armies facing us when the Draconis March presses him to drive at your soft underbelly?"

"If he tried, he would find that there is little soft about the belly of a Dragon. We are scaled both above and below." Minoru smiled at some joke that slipped past Howell. "And for all your talk of contested worlds, most of the worlds have fallen back into our hands and your garrisons pose no further resistance. The subservience of your conquests was never more than skin-deep."

Is he bluffing? We have never managed to precisely assess the DCMS' strength and they have suffered significant losses. They cannot truly fight both us and the Federated Commonwealth – but Hanse Davion is an old man and his wife is said to be no warrior.

"I think your people need this truce as much as we do. However, I believe we may find some compromise: I will cede all three of your specific requests and withdraw from a region of worlds approximating to the region I consider contested. In addition, I will agree to the payment of an indemnity to be paid by the Diamond Sharks. In exchange however I will require that you cede all claim to the remaining worlds held by both Clans and that the Combine will pay an indemnity to the Smoke Jaguars."

Minoru nodded slowly. "In principle, that is acceptable. Shall we discuss this in more detail?"

"Later." Howell braced himself to hide any sign of discomfort and then forced himself to his feet. "I should acquaint Khan Sennet with the progress of negotiations and discuss what to request as an indemnity with my advisors."

"Of course." Minoru came smoothly to his feet. "And Khan Howell?"

"Yes?"

"I appreciate your courtesy, but if you find chairs easier then I really do not mind."

Howell wasn't sure if he was more annoyed at his discomfort being noticed or that he could have avoided sitting in seiza.


	16. Epilogue

Epilogue

 _Three things trust above all else: the horse on which you ride,_

 _The beast that guards your sleep, and your shield-maid at your side._

\- Threes, Mercedes Lackey

.o0o.

 **Atreus City, Atreus**

 **Marik Commonwealth, Free Worlds League**

 **1 September 3052**

Thomas Marik was as Aziz remembered him, face scarred by a long-ago bomb and lined by years of battling Parliament to overcome some of the more divisive elements of the Free Worlds League. He had presence and dignity. He also bowed and kissed her hand once they were alone.

"Thank you, Captain-General." She waited politely for him to sit back behind his desk before taking the offered chair.

"You have usually made these meetings productive."

She smiled. So do so again? "I regret that the Nova Cat capture of Luna now makes it impractical for me to return to Terra. Unless substantial reinforcements can be sent to Terra, Primus Waterly's control of the motherworld is measured in months at best. The Nova Cats successfully divided our fleet by striking at Titan and destroying the warships there before the ComGuards fleet concentrated, which has left them with a considerable naval advantage."

"I doubt very much if Hanse Davion would permit me to send reinforcements, even if I could persuade Parliament of that cause. And then there would be the matter of the Nova Cat warships which would be easily able to destroy the transports of such reinforcements."

Aziz bowed her head. "I do not ask this of you, Captain-General. A division-strength force drawn from ComGuard forces here made an attempt to reinforce Terra and were destroyed in the attempt. In good conscience I cannot encourage such bloodshed." And it conveniently removed the more fanatical of Waterly's faction among the ComGuard divisions in the League.

"So you anticipate the fall of Terra to the Clans."

"To Clan Nova Cat, yes. Which leaves the future of ComStar in the hands of those willing to support our Order under these changed circumstances. I have made contact with the Precentors remaining the Draconis Combine and hidden relay stations are being established to allow communication across the Terran Corridor without becoming beholden to… Federated Communications." Her tone gave away her distaste.

Thomas sighed. "You may be assured that we will maintain our contract with your Order but since we do have cause to communicate with the Federated Commonwealth…"

"Unavoidable," she agreed. "In general principle, Primus Waterly remains the head of the Order until her death or removal. However, once the Nova Cats take Terra a new Primus will be elected by conclave. It may be immodest to consider myself a viable candidate, however the First Circuit is rather depleted since the Precentors for Sian, New Avalon and Tharkad appear to be imprisoned and Precentor Dieron has passed away..."

"We shall see then. If you are elected what policies will you wish to follow?"

Aziz exhaled slowly. "We must recognise the facts of the matter. Some accommodation will have to be arranged with the Federated Commonwealth and their tame HPG network. Fortunately the other realms have not offered it room to extend. Further, at least until we can establish sources for some components we may have to seek some terms with Clan Nova Cat."

"You accept then their claim to be guardians of Terra?"

"On balance, I see no alternative. They are currently neutral, leaning slightly towards the Federated Commonwealth out of necessity. Recognition in that role by yourself and Coordinator Kurita will at least allow them to remain truly neutral and deny Hanse Davion indirect control of the mother world."

"And what future do you intend for the ComGuards, if I may ask?"

"The ComGuards' traditional role is a valid one – to secure our facilties. I envisage a reorganisation more towards that role and less towards the field armies that Focht built for Waterly. Without Terra's stockpiles, much of our heavy equipment will need to be husbanded. And a warship fleet is unnecessary, of course."

"Such warships as remain."

"Yes." Aziz looked the Captain-General in the eye. "Of course, as matters stand, the Free Worlds League has no warships while the Federated Commonwealth has a fleet, as do the Clans. And even House Kurita possess a modest force with the Albiero and their efforts to restore DCS Togura to functionality."

"It is a matter that promises to make budgetary considerations rather more complicated in the future," conceded Marik.

"I have, in investigating the aftermath of Operation Revelation, come across some interesting information. You may have considered salvaging such wrecks as remain in your space."

He nodded.

"I would suggest eliminating SLS Impetuous from your list of candidates."

"Oh?"

She was careful not to smile as she revealed the information. "Analysis of data from the Tharkad operations indicates that the FCS Adventure, a rebuilt Aegis-class cruiser our warships fought there, was originally the SLS Impetuous, abandoned by the SLDF in what is now FWL space during the Hegemony campaign."

"That was wrecked in FWL space." Thomas frowned and then shook his head. "Which would also explain why we have been unable to locate the remains of FWLS Olympic. Davion has had salvage crews operating secretly in League space."

Aziz nodded. "It seems likely, the AFFC have more than one Aegis-class cruiser. Under the circumstances, I propose to sell off our remaining warships and offer you first refusal on four of the vessels, with the other two being offered to the Draconis Combine. Obviously this depends upon approval from the First Circuit." Her eyes narrowed. "And there is a cache of warships we are aware of but never activated. Unfortunately it is located in Federated Commonwealth space but…"

She smiled and, after a long pause, Thomas Marik nodded his agreement.

.o0o.

 **Fortress Sanethia, Luthien**

 **Pesht District, Draconis Combine**

 **6 September 3052**

The Heir-Designate of the Draconis Combine stepped from the gangway of his dropship onto a carpet that displayed grey jaguars, white sharks and yellow birds. Minoru Kurita was fairly sure he hadn't brought it so apparently some of Luthien's traditional industries, such as carpet-weaving, had survived the occupation. The many Combine flags were probably from a warehouse though.

Shin Yodama stood at the far end of the carpet holding a daisho in one hand - his one hand, Minoru realised. The man's right sleeve was empty.

As the young Kurita approached him, the yakuza dropped to one knee and placed the blades on the carpet. "Lord, I present to you the swords of your brother."

"Are they unstained?"

The swords were blackened and probably impossible to draw given the state of the sheaths, but Minoru wasn't referring to their physical condition.

"Your brother died with his face towards the enemy," Shin assured him. "I regret that your grandfather's blades have not been recovered, yet he died defiant of the Jaguars."

"As a dragon must." Minoru accepted Hohiro's swords. "Rise, Yodama-san. You have honoured House Kurita by your service."

The yakuza stood and bowed deeply. Then he stared as Minoru offered him the blades.

"I can think of no better guardian for these. I am sure Hohiro would agree." Minoru turned to the remaining men and women assembled to greet him. "By the decree of my father, Theodore Kurita, Duke of New Samarkand, Unifier of Worlds and Coordinator of the Draconis Combine, I have been invested as Duke of Luthien."

Shin nodded and a woman among his party spoke up: "We were… surprised at their withdrawal."

"Allow me to present Eleanor Shimazu." Shin drew his lips back in what might be a smile. "She leads our remaining 'Mechs as I am no longer able to."

"Some of your 'Mechs survived?"

"A few," Shimazu confirmed. "And we captured others. It's mostly been infantry fighting though."

"And through such courage, the Jaguar could not make a secure lair here." Minoru bowed to the slight degree appropriate to meeting a subordinate military officer. "The Clans over-reached themselves."

Not that the Combine was in any great position to exploit that, but ISF cells had been seeded in their path after Luthien, bogging them down with insurgencies. With no competent source of intelligence – not even ComStar – they could not have known that the jumpships and regiments used to strike at the lightly guarded worlds around Bjarred had been the last mobile reserve the DCMS could field before the border with House Davion was denuded and left open to the AFFC. ComStar's interdiction might have doomed their monopoly on interstellar communication but it had saved the Draconis Combine.

He continued: "Their options were explained to them and a treaty has been reached. For now we will allow them to retain certain worlds – in exchange for considerations that will allow us to withstand them in the future and also to ensure that the Federated Commonwealth will not seek to absorb us."

"It will be some time before the Dragon once again rules from Luthien. But it shall be our fortress here to watch over the Diamond Sharks and the Smoke Jaguars. Such a world will require an exemplary military commander." He placed his hand upon Shin's shoulder. "Sho-sho Yodama will do me the honour of regaling me with the merits of the men and women here?"

It was a question with only one answer: barring direct order of the Coordinator, the Heir-Designate would be entertained as he desired. If he commanded Shin to dance like a bear, it was his right. Then Shin realised that he had been elevated to general – implicitly to the general responsible for defending Luthien. "I am honoured," he answered.

.o0o.

 **Reyhavik, Rasalhague**

 **Dominion of the Wolves of Rasalhague**

 **11 September 3052**

The Hall of Khans was as stark as ever with its marble fittings and with the banners of the Clans above each of the twenty benches. The images relayed across the light years were a familiar sight to Ulric Kerensky but they were tinged with regret for Charles Dinour, who had never entered the chamber and might never have the opportunity.

Only someone who had worked as closely with Ulric as his fellow Khan would have noted the fractional hesitation and Dinour looked for the cause. "Four Jaguars?" he exclaimed.

Before any further voices could be raised, Laurie Tseng struck the gavel. She had resigned as Khan during the long exodus of the Ghost Bears from the Inner Sphere and been voted back into her former role as Loremaster of her Clan. Now she filled that role for the Grand Council. "We are gathered here in a time of war," she intoned. "Let us be guided here by the Martial Code handed down to us by our ancestors."

"Seyla," concurred thirty-four Khans.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Charles Dinour, indicating where Brandon Howell and a second man sat in the long vacant bench that had once been occupied by Clan Mongoose's Khans.

"Aye, and of that?" Malavai Fletcher was on his feet, finger stabbing up at the banner that hung over the bench. The Mongoose banner had been removed to hang along the back of the hall, alongside that of the other absorbed Clan, the Widowmakers. Now a new banner of silver and black graced the hall.

"I will answer," Lincoln Osis rumbled. The massive Khan of Clan Smoke Jaguar could have wasted no time reclaiming his office upon waking from his coma. Now he rose to his feet like a looming stormcloud. "My Clan has faced irreconcilable internal differences during my recovery. Measures have been taken that I and the true Smoke Jaguars reject." He slammed his hands down on his desk. "It is the right of a Khan, faced with such a crisis, to create a new Clan and to consign to it those who are no longer in unity."

"That is - !"

"It is lawful," Ulric cut the Hells Horses' Khan off. "It has never been done before, but the Founder provided for such a circumstance where there was no grounds for abjuration and yet a Clan was threatened by internal conflict. I am curious as to the cause."

"Remain curious," spat Osis. "I do not explain myself to you."

"Then I will answer." Brandon Howell rose to his feet. "Under the martial code I have been elected Khan of our new Clan, the first Khan of Clan Black Dragon. Lincoln Osis has accurately cited that he disagrees with decisions made during his incapacity. Those decisions include the Grand Council-mandated treaty that I have negotiated with the Draconis Combine."

"It is -"

"I have the floor." Brandon did not raise his voice but it cut across the chamber and silenced Osis for the moment. "As was his right, he spoke strongly against the matter and as was his right, he proposed the repudiation of the treaty and the removal of the Khans who accepted it. On this matter, our Clan's unity was broken. No one has ever deemed Smoke Jaguars temperate but nor are we fools. To settle the grievances that formed within the Clan Council in battle would have broken us all." He paused. "And likely have opened us to further counter attacks by the Combine when we have yet to recover from the Invasion."

Laurie Tseng stood and silenced, somehow, the rising murmuring of the Khans. "As Khan Ulric has confirmed, this matter is within the regulations of the Martial Code. No vote is required on this matter. Khan Howell's Black Dragons meet all the qualifications that he and Paul Moon may sit amongst you as equals."

"What enclaves does this new Clan boast of?" asked Nikolai Djerassi coolly.

"Our holdings are all the worlds once occupied by Clan Smoke Jaguar within the Inner Sphere." Paul Moon jutted out his jaw threateningly. "And the majority of the warriors who have fought against the Spheroids."

Khan Sennet leant forwards. "By tradition, all Clans hold equal portions of Strana Mechty. Does this creation mean we must carve up our own holdings here to formulate such a holding for the Black Dragons?"

"That is correct." The Loremaster had to strike her gavel twice before there was quiet – or near enough. "When Clans have previously been absorbed or... annihilated... their enclaves were divided up. For simplicity, Clan Black Dragon will receive for their share the portions of Strana Mechty once held by Clan Mongoose. Since this includes the enclaves the Mongoose received that were once the property of other dead Clans, it is the simplest solution."

"Aff." Robin Steele nodded. "Those are marginal holdings but they constitute the rightful share of a Clan. But I see we have another gap here. Where are the Khans of Clan Nova Cat?"

Ulric rose to his feet. "On that, I have a report for the Grand Council."

"You have the floor, Khan Ulric."

He bowed. "As Khan Howell has bargained with the Draconis Combine on behalf of his own Clan and Khan Sennets, I have bargained with the Federated Commonwealth and the Draconis Combine for a ceasefire. Since we hold few worlds of either state, they have been open to these overtures and perhaps somewhat war-weary."

"They are weakened then?" asked Fletcher.

"Since negotiations with the Federated Commonwealth ended, no less than ten fresh Regimental Combat Teams have been deployed along our new border. Reserves that they had not yet tapped even under the combined pressure of Clan Jade Falcon, Clan Steel Viper and Clan Nova Cat. It is possible the Federated Commonwealth does not desire war but they are assuredly ready for one."

"Fresh reserves?"

"It must be remembered that some parts of the Federated Commonwealth are almost as far removed from the worlds we fought on as the Homeworlds are." Ulric let that sink in. The AFFC had taken severe losses but the Clans' resources had expired first. And since the AFFC preferred to fit known designs with advanced technology rather than build distinct 'Mechs and tanks to make use of them, it was hard to say if their equipment was up to the standard seen or if these RCTs were still using more primitive hardware. "On the matter of Clan Nova Cat, the negotiations have allowed enquiries to be made. It seems that Khans Leroux and Carns have made their own pact with the Federated Commonwealth."

"What pact?"

"The details remain uncertain... but it includes free passage through the Federated Commonwealth for their touman and for considerable numbers of Nova Cat civilian castes."

Kael Pershaw inhaled sharply. "Terra."

Ulric paused and then shrugged. "I see no other goal for them myself. Yes, I believe the Nova Cats have requested that they be allowed free passage so that they can assault Terra."

"Those stravag...!"

"I have to admire their gall," admitted Charles Dinour. "If we had asked the same rather than invading, perhaps this gathering would be taking place in the Hall of the Star League, before the throne of the First Lord. ComStar seems to have few champions within the Inner Sphere."

Vandervahn Chistu shot a glare at the Wolves and then stood. "I call for the abjuration of the Nova Cats!"

"On what cause?" asked Howell, his own face chagrined rather than angry.

"What cause!?" bellowed Osis. "Is it not obvious?"

"The last orders they received were to make for Terra. They are making for Terra. They have come to terms with one of the Successor States, but the vote of this Council has endorsed just such truces on our part." Dinour grinned broadly. "I suppose you could abjure them for not attending the Grand Council but there's ample precedent for absenteeism."

"I believe Khan Osis is concerned that Clan Nova Cat may be considered to have become the ilClan if they succeed in this venture," Ulric observed. "It will be rather difficult for them to make such a claim without attending the Grand Council on Strana Mechty however, so perhaps we should defer any action until we have more information."

"Agreed." Cassius N'Buta straightened in his seat and looked around. Impressively, his gaze was enough to convince several of the Khans to return to their seats.

Laurie Tseng nodded. "The next order of business then. Khan N'Buta, there is a matter you wish to address?"

"Aff." The Star Adder Khan rose to his feet. "The invasion has shown us starkly that certain Clans' reputations are greater than their substance. The grotesque failures of Operation Revival, from the first plans to its final failure must rest on the deficiencies of these Clans. On this basis, I believe the time has come for their Absorption so that their salvageable warriors may continue as part of viable Clans."

The chamber went dead silent.

Brandon Howell cleared his throat. "As a newly established Clan, we Black Dragons carry neither merit nor stigma from the actions of our past Clan. As such I may be deemed neutral in this matter. Also, we'd be a difficult target for you, Khan N'Buta. Unless you have more than a Galaxy in the Inner Sphere?"

"As you have yet to prove yourself, Khan Howell, your Clan is not the target of my remarks. Nor would I criticize Clan Wolf, who have succeeded magnificently, or the Diamond Sharks and Nova Cats."

Malavai Fletcher's feral grin caused flinches. "Being fair, Khan N'Buta, I would say that Clan Ghost Bear's failings were more political than military, quiaff?"

"Aff... and their Clan has not fallen apart in the face of adversity," agreed the Star Adder Khan soberly.

"Do you call for the Absorption of Clan Smoke Jaguar?" asked Djerassi mildly.

"Neg." N'Buta turned towards Natalie Breen. "I find the Steel Viper's abandonment of their own civilians the final failing of their Clan and I call for their Absorption."

Breen and Andrews had barely begun to process that when Lynn McKenna stood. "I will not call for the Absorption of Clan Smoke Jaguar," she declared. "But Clan Jade Falcon are another matter."

"By the Founder, it's a feeding frenzy," exclaimed Dinour as Khan Asa Taney of the Ice Hellions jumped up and shouted that his Clan would absorb the Smoke Jaguars.

Ulric nodded calmly and both Wolf Khans cut their connections to the Grand Council, guessing – correctly – that it would be quite some time before their absence was even noted.

.o0o.

 **Avalon City, New Avalon**

 **Crucis March, Federated Suns**

 **16 September 3052**

Not once in the entire history of the Inner Sphere had the Warrior Houses of the Capellan Confederation come to New Avalon. But they were no longer part of the Capellan Confederation alone and negotiations had made it clear that this would be necessary.

Not that all of them were present. Trust was all well and good but the full might of all of them would have been a step too far. Instead only one Warrior House was present in full and the others were represented by their House Master and an honour guard of ten of their warriors.

The great domed hall with tiered seating for more than a thousand Senators and six wings of offices behind them was structurally complete although work-crews would probably need another year or more to fully outfit the vast building.

Today those crews had been dismissed and a national holiday announced in celebration of the end of the war.

The seating that filled five sides of the hexagonal hall was filled not by formal delegates but by military and government officials and their families, as well as the top crust of the nobility from all across the Commonwealth, assembled here for the annual Royal Court. Even Timur Malthus was there, although he had adopted a well-tailored suit fitting to the master of a major corporation – the CEO of Phoenix Industries, already benefiting from a major contract to build battle armour for the AFFC.

The sixth side of the hall held a wide throne, the back carved with the sunburst-fist and easily large enough for both Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner-Davion to sit side-by-side upon it. The arms of the throne were carved symbolically into swords – the broadsword that still appeared on Federated Suns specific heraldry and a curved dao to represent the Capellan Confederation.

Two BattleMechs flanked the throne – Griffins wearing the colours of the Second Royal Guards and the First Davion Guards – and in front of them, on seats brought down from the Royal Palace for the occasion, were Hanse and Melissa's family. Victor and Kuan-Yin sat on the right, along with Morgan Hasek-Davion, George Hasek, Justin Allard and his two younger children. To the left the other four Steiner-Davion children sat, although Katherine hardly looked childish in the uniform of an AFFC nurse and Peter wore a Cadet's uniform. Nondi Steiner had sat with the children, looking far older than she had two years before, separating them from Sun-Tzu Liao.

Hanse rose from the throne and walked forward to the podium offset from the centre of the dais. "Today we are assembled for several reasons. Firstly we are to celebrate the defeat of the Clan Invasion. Today was chosen as our day of celebration because it was twenty-two years ago exactly that Natasha Kerensky came to me with a warning of the Clans and the probability that they would someday return to the Inner Sphere."

"Yes," he answered the unasked question. "We knew that the Clans existed. Not exactly where – the location of the Clan Home Worlds remains unconfirmed – nor when they might return. And we knew that if they struck then, while the Inner Sphere was still recovering from the Fourth Succession War, that we would stand no chance of repelling them, only of fighting a long and painful insurgency to one day regain our freedoms."

"But they did not come that year. And for more than nineteen years, thousands of men and women laboured – often in secret – to ensure that we could hope to one day withstand what appeared to be an unstoppable juggernaut. Thanks to their efforts as much – but no more – than those of the hundreds of thousands of combatants and millions of support personnel in the AFFC today, we stand victorious. For this you have my - and my family's - profound gratitude."

Hanse withdrew to the throne and Melissa took his place.

"Our war was not only against the Clans. In the shadows of the recent decades and openly in war around the last winter, we were challenged by ComStar. While many of their day-to-day actions can still be counted admirable, the sad fact is that ComStar's leadership was committed to a policy of suppressing technological recovery across the Inner Sphere and of encouraging division between and within the Successor States. These goals were completely incompatible with our objectives of advancing our technology and binding the Federated Commonwealth's strengths together so that we could defeat the Clans."

"More so than even the Clans, ComStar brought war to our homes. It is only within the last few days that Federated Communications has successfully restored HPG communications to all of our worlds. All across the Federated Commonwealth, the critical industries and leaders of our war effort came under attack. My home on Tharkad was overrun and my dear friend Kym Sorenson-Hasek perished in the ComGuard's attacks, along with three of her children, so I cannot help but to take this personally."

On the dais, Morgan Hasek-Davion lowered his head and his long coppery hair fell across his face. George reached over and took his father's hand.

"We also now know that agents of ComStar funded and otherwise supported Kali Liao in her attempted coup on Sian – a coup that killed her aunt and our ally Candace Liao. What defeated that coup was not technology but courage - the moral courage shown by my son, my daughter-in-law and her cousin Sun-Tzu, who worked together to foil the plot. Together, House Steiner, House Davion and House Liao won a victory that day – not only against the misguided Kali or her ComStar backers but against everyone who tries to tear the Federated Commonwealth apart."

"For we are stronger together. Not merely economically or militarily, but in the new perspectives and fresh visions we can share with each other. Upon this principle, my mother and my husband laid the foundations of our alliance. Upon the shoulders of my children – and of all our children – rests the privilege of bringing it to fruition."

"I can stand before you today and share with you that as we speak, the warriors of Clan Nova Cat are landing upon Terra. By ancient treaty, Terra is not our world to take. House Kurita and House Marik would see it as the first step towards seeking to conquer them and then all of humanity."

"But Clan Nova Cat are, like ComStar, the heirs to one of the last vestiges of the Star League. Unlike their fellow Clans, they have forsworn any efforts to force us into bondage or to create the Star League in their own image. Instead they have undertaken to cleanse ComStar from Terra and then to act as the motherworld's guardians. With our assistance, their ambassadors are also visiting Atreus, New Samarkand and several other capital worlds to seek endorsement of this role."

"I hope you will join me in a moment of prayer not for the warriors embarking into battle, or for the corrupt Primus Waterly, but instead to the ordinary ComStar adepts who largely feel betrayed by their leaders and who have for the most part desired no more than to serve their fellow human beings by preserving interstellar trade and communication, not to mention their many charitable works over the years. These men and women do not deserve our anger, but our sympathy and understanding."

Kai left his own seat and replaced Melissa at the podium.

"I know that most of you want the speeches to end so you can get on with the celebrations," he said quietly. "But there is one further thing to do today. Under the treaty which has brought the Capellan Confederation into the Federated Commonwealth, pledges of allegiance have been made to my sister Kuan-Yin, first as my regent and interim Chancellor and then as the duly elected Minister of the Confederation March. Certain of those oaths must be made anew and, as a new beginning, today is perhaps the most suitable date."

He extended his hand and Ion Rush led a long line forwards, each House Leader breaking off until they formed a block nine lines wide and eleven deep, before the dais.

"Today the Warrior Houses have come to New Avalon, to pledge their personal allegiance to the Archon, to the First Prince... and to the future Archon-Prince."

Hanse and Melissa stepped forward and then waited for Victor to join them. Ion Rush knelt and Victor placed his hand on the man's head while his parents reached down to his shoulders.

"I, Ion Rush, Master of House Imarra, pledge my own and the Imarra's allegiance to the House of Steiner-Davion-Liao and to the Federated Commonwealth. We are your sword and your shield. We shall follow where you lead and we shall die that your cause my live. This I swear by my eternal soul."

The three responded together. "We accept your pledge and offer this in return, to sustain and honour House Imarra. To lead you wisely and to respect your sacrifices." Then they removed their hands. "Do you, the warriors of Imarra, witness these pledges?"

"We do," ten voices affirmed. "We will honour and abide by them until the stars themselves fall and beyond."

It was an oath alien in word but not in spirit to the people of New Avalon. They knew oaths of knighthood when they heard them and rumbles of approval followed each oath as the trio moved from House Master to House Master.

Kamata and Daidachi. Fujita and Mat-su-kai. Hiritsu, LuSann and Ijori. Names of fear and hatred for the Capellan March – tireless adversaries in many a storied battle.

But here they pledged themselves to the rulers of the Federated Commonwealth as defenders and not as enemies.

And one more.

"I, Diana, Master of House Jade Phoenix, pledge my own and the Phoenix's allegiance to the House of Steiner-Davion-Liao and to the Federated Commonwealth." Her eyes flicked to one side to look at Kai, her place as last in line leaving her near to the podium. "We are your sword and your shield. We shall follow where you lead and we shall die that your cause may live. This I swear by my eternal soul."

.o0o.

The End

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading. I hope you've all enjoyed this.

I'd like to acknowledge those who corrected my spelling/grammar, particularly DIT_Grue, and those who gave me feedback on the plotting, characterisation, etc. Particularly Chris O'Farrell in the latter case.


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